


Legacy: Unbroken

by orphan_account



Series: Legacy [4]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Angst, Child Loss, F/M, Family Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Reunions, RiverClan (Warriors), ShadowClan (Warriors), ThunderClan (Warriors), WindClan (Warriors)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-24 20:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22003642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After meeting Jay- their grandkit- Rainstone and Needlepine head to the Clans to reunite with their daughter, Scorch. With Raven tagging along. However, the peace and strong allegiance the Clans have had with each other since freeing themselves from tyranny has wilted and tensions have risen to a point where ignoring it is impossible. Will bonds be destroyed or cherished?
Relationships: Rainstone & Flickertail, Rainstone & Willowwater, Rainstone/Needlepine, Scorch/Boulderstar
Series: Legacy [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1525118
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

Dawn ascended over the land, curving over the distant hills to send light flying over the tops of treetops and cast depressed shadows in contrast with the golden-pink light. The rich greens of the forest mixed with the pink to create a fabulous array of colors.

There were bluebells and foxgloves, tiny red strawberries peeking out of bushes and rich, deep, holly leaves that shed the dew like a waxy pelt. There were white roses and red roses, yellow and pink roses all scattered in pools of sunlight. Fluffy dandelions and prim daisies grew in a scattered fashion throughout the long forest grass. Ferns were almost as plentiful as the trees, glowing in clusters together.

The feverish hurry of birds filled the air and tiny shadows flew and swooped through the forest. The feathered creatures sang to each other and the chatter nearly drowned out the bustling squirrels as they chittered and chattered their way up and down trees.

Down below a long bunny sat, it's soft brown coat glowing softly as it mundanely munched at a blade of grass, not betraying how actively it's ears searched for any sounds of danger. Far off, a fox had caught the scent of the rabbit and was beginning to track it. The fire-red creature stepped delicately among the flowers, its belly rumbling in prospect of its breakfast.

In this same forest three cats slumbered, curled in a soft bed of wildflowers colored orange, yellow, pink, and white. These cats were strangers to these woods and had not slept well, despite the calm and beauty.

One was a senior black she-cat, old, gray scars were scattered over her pelt, though they were easily overlooked with the black fur. Her long legs and finely curved face would have promised beauty in her youth, but that season had long since passed and now she resembled a withered aspen more than a soft willow.

The next cat was a tom, about the same age as the she-cat. His fur was mottled dark red and bronzed orange like a sunset sky. He was not particularly handsome, considering his age, but his fur was clean and he was more proportionately aligned than his black compatriot.

The final member of the trio slept on her back, paws furled above her chest like a kit, despite being only a season or two younger than the other two. Her fur was dark gray with a sheen of blue that the pink light picked out. She was considerably smaller and stouter than her pals and her paws were enormous considering her height, while her head was shapely round and her ears were large and soft-tipped.

The gray she-cat's whiskers twitched and her dark blue-almost black- eyes opened into slits. In a glance those eyes took in the light that filtered through the green leaves and illuminated them from behind, making it look like they were glowing lights on the branches of the smooth ash-brown tree-branches.

Her jaws stretched into a large yawn and she flattened her ears, nose twitching distastefully. Having lived so many moons by the sea, to be among trees again was difficult to get used to. Rainstone was not so eager to travel now as she had been when she was younger.

Rolling onto her paws she gave her pelt a vigorous shake, wincing as the pain in her shoulders and legs. Her endurance wasn't the same as when she'd been younger and she moved stiffly as she gave her pelt a quick grooming. The three of them had been travelling for nearly two moons, though maybe wandering was probably a better name for what they'd been doing.

Ever since they had dispersed the group of rogues terrorizing the forest near their home, they had been moving steadily further north and west, headed towards the Clans. It had been slow going, not one of them seemed especially keen on seeing the Clans again and Rainstone twitched her ears as she remembered her meeting with Jay.

Even though Raven had told her Scorch had somehow survived and returned to the Clans, and then saved the Clans, some part of her refused to believe it. It seemed impossible that the kit who had been swept away one dark and stormy night, who had supposedly died and gone to rest with the stars many moons ago had somehow survived without her ever knowing it.

But Jay had come along, living proof that her own daughter was alive and well. The resemblance between the Jay and herself was uncanny and the fact that Jay had come from the Clans—a fact betrayed to her by the unmistakable ThunderClan scent that lingered-Rainstone knew that no cat but her kin could possess traits from her mountain home in the Clans, considering that Scamp and his kits had both sadly died.

Shaking those somber thoughts from her she moved about in search of prey, pausing to enjoy the freshness of dew on the grass. It was an appreciated refreshment regarding the heavy humidity the forest had been under for the past few days.

A storm was coming, but she wasn't convinced it would strike today. The wind from the sea was sluggish and wet, it hadn't picked up any indication of violence yet so Rainstone knew they still had time before they needed to search for better shelter than a few fern bushes.

She didn't have to search long before she crossed the fresh scent trail of a mouse. It seemed the mouse was as peaceful as the forest, for it never knew she was there despite her clumsy approach. There was a reason why Needlepine did most of the hunting in the forest—her paws were too big and clumsy to take advantage of the undergrowth for stealth.

Sitting down and enjoying her fresh meal, prickles of anxiety returned. Despite her intense struggle to push them away, she couldn't sweep away a deep foreboding feeling at the prospect of meeting her long-lost daughter again.

She had come to terms long ago that all her kits were destined to die as kits, and the legacy of her daring escape from the mountains under the cover of a midnight blizzard would crash into the ferocious sea when she breathed her last.

But Raven had reappeared with a fellow black cat named Amelia to announce to her that her dead daughter was alive and had saved the Clans as part of her post-death accomplishments. The news had been a shock and warmly received, but no amount of reassurances and accurate descriptions had been enough to fully convince her, and she had been happy to live with only the thought of her daughter being alive.

But now she was doing it; she and Needlepine were searching for their daughter. And they were getting close, if they covered good ground today they might reach the Clans by tomorrow. But how would they react? Rainstone and Needlepine had abandoned the Clans in a time of great need and Raven said she was a former enemy of the Clans, even though she had ended up aiding Scorch.

"Rainstone! Are you ready to go?" the voice startled her and a robin which quickly took to flight, flying so closely that she felt the beat of its wings on her whiskers.

Standing up, she kicked some dirt over the remains of her meal. "Yes," she answered, relaxing as she approached Needlepine, his mottled red and orange fur had a sheen of silver that betrayed his age, but his green eyes showed nothing but energy and excitement.

Rainstone touched his nose tenderly. She couldn't have made a better decision than becoming mates with him. He had been a loyal companion throughout her life, always overflowing with energy, always supportive and understanding. He had allowed her to be selfish when she decided to never have kits again after losing Scorch, even though she knew he would have loved to have more.

She rubbed the top of her head along his chin, "Let's go see our kit."

* * *

The gentle hum of bees sung through the woods and the happy chirping of birds brought the trees alive with noise as the three cats passed beneath the branches of trees that were heavily laden with shady green leaves. The three rarely talked, choosing to enjoy the peace of the forest and pretend that apprehension wasn't rising in each of their stomachs.

"There's a storm coming," Raven commented as they stopped around sun-high, taking a break to fill their bellies and rest their paws.

"The forest seems to need it," Needlepine responded, sniffing around in the dry grass. "I haven't seen water since we left that spring we camped by last night."

Rainstone frowned, the stream that had been following up from the ocean had long since dried up after they passed a couple side streams that had been feeding into it. But there had to be water around here, where there was life there was water and all she had to do was look around at the ferns and oaks and maples to see life.

 _Though they do look dry…_ The wood on the trees was dry and dusty and the ferns were curling back, the ends of their green fronds turning brown. "It's not going to kill us to go without a drink, let's find some food and keep moving, we can take another break when we find some water." Her two comrades agreed, and they set out to hunt.

"Let's hunt together," Needlepine mewed trotting over to her with his tail straight up in the air. Rainstone purred, amused by his endless energy. The gray hairs on his muzzle and dull shine of his pelt were the only things that betrayed his age, he still moved and acted like he was six moons old.

"Okay," she conceded, she was better at scaring prey into another hunter rather than catching it herself and her mate knew that very well.

They headed off together, tails linked and pelts brushing, oblivious to the baking sun as they stalked quietly through the crinkly undergrowth. Needlepine halted and lifted his head, ears tilted forward. Rainstone tried to find what he had found but was awkwardly aware that her senses had dulled faster than his and couldn't pick up the same hints of prey.

Needlepine leaned toward her ear, "I'll go around behind that hazel bush, you can scare the rabbit toward me, try not to let it dart in another direction."

Rainstone nodded, finally picking up the smell of rabbit now that she knew what she was looking for. She crouched as Needlepine circled around behind the hazel bush that was besides an oak tree. Rainstone's bones ached, crouching for so long was not comfortable and her breath trembled from both the strain and excitement of the hunt as she slunk nearer to the rabbit, close enough that she could see its whiskers moving as it chomped on a blade of grass. She was disappointed by how lean it looked, it wouldn't be easy on her teeth, though it would fill her belly.

Preparing herself, she saw the flash of Needlepine's tail tip and knew he was ready. Quick as she could, she charged the rabbit. It startled and fled toward the hazel bush, Rainstone slowed her chase- no need to push herself when Needlepine would get it.

But then the rabbit changed direction and darted to the other side of the oak, opposite of the hazel bush. Rainstone's heart pounded as she saw her prey getting away and she resumed her chase, pushing her paws into the ground to give herself as much momentum as possible as she swung around the oak.

"Umph!" she crashed into Needlepine who had hastily changed his position to catch the runaway rabbit. Rainstone, still with all her momentum, bowled Needlepine and the rabbit over and hastily caught the rabbit, still on top of Needlepine.

"Rainstone!" he wheezed, green eyes sparkling as he looked up at her, "You may be lighter than you used to be, but you're still too heavy!"

Rainstone climbed off her mate, the rabbit hanging limply in her jaws. "Sowwy," she mewed, blinking at her mate in concern as he slowly climbed to his paws. What if she had injured him? She had a sneaking suspicion that he felt his age more than he let on.

Needlepine tested his legs one by one, wincing as he used his front left paw but after a moment found it usable. He looked at her with a huff on his face, "I see you were more determined to get that rabbit than I was."

Rainstone purred, "Don't be like that, it's too hot to hunt for very long and I didn't trust that you could move quickly enough at your age."

Needlepine purred in amusement, "You're not much younger than I, but let's go back before Raven thinks we abandoned her," he mewed, "And since you did all the work to catch this rabbit, allow me to carry it back, I know how your aching teeth bother you," he teased as he took the rabbit from her grasp.

Rainstone sniffed, nose in the air and strutted forward, though she knew it looked funny with her limp paw causing her to move more like a duck than a cat. Needlepine joined her and she leaned her head on his shoulder as they padded along, every moment with him was a blessing, but would it change when they found their daughter?

"It looks like you two were having fun," Raven grumbled as they returned to the meeting spot. Her black muzzle speckled with blood and feathers from the finch she was eating. Rainstone looked at her pelt and then at Needlepine's, both of their pelts were rumpled, and bits of dry grass and leaves were caught in their fur.

"This rabbit put up a noble fight," Needlepine mewed, laying their prey down. Rainstone snorted in amusement as Raven rolled her eyes.

"Well, I don't know if the two of you have noticed, but we're really close to Clan territory now," Raven mewed.

Rainstone's ears pricked, she hadn't noticed, but then again, she'd not been near the Clans for many seasons now. Needlepine nodded, though, "I can see the start of ShadowClan's territory, in that direction," he mewed, angling with his tail toward a far-off haze of pines whose tops broke the cover of maples and oaks.

"We can probably make it to Clan territory tonight, though I think we should wait until morning to approach them," Raven mewed, fur prickling along her shoulders.

"Nervous?" Needlepine purred.

"I wasn't always the friendliest rogue to the Clans. Plus, its been a long time, most of the cats we meet won't remember any of us."

Rainstone lowered her eyes to her meal as silence enfolded the three of them. She had lived in RiverClan for a time and she wondered if Willowwater and Flickertail even remembered her if they were still alive. _You did abandon them after all, it'd be better if they didn't remember you._ Although, they were heading to ThunderClan, maybe they wouldn't ever know she had returned.

She shot a glance at Needlepine, she wondered if he was thinking of his sister. She was the only Clan cat he had ever mused about to her. Honestly, Rainstone didn't remember his sister, only that her name was Thistlebranch and that Raven said she was still alive when she had left.

"Let's go," Needlepine mewed, jumping up and scraping some dirt over the rabbit bones and scraps, his eyes shone with exuberance, "Let's go see the Clans!"

* * *

They made great time, it was as if something were pulling them toward the Clans and they reached the border just as it started to rain. "I knew it was going to storm," Raven grumbled, shaking the droplets from her whiskers.

The three of them stood on the border of ThunderClan, hesitating to enter and not wanting to leave. Rainstone shifted the weight on her paws, glancing at Needlepine. His eyes still shone brightly, but his thoughts were unreadable. And Raven was no help, glaring at the sky as if she hadn't been complaining about it being too hot not five minutes ago.

"There's still plenty of time to get to their camp before sunset, and I don't see a good place to camp around here," Needlepine mewed, "I think we should go," he looked at the two she-cats for their agreement.

Rainstone nodded slowly, her fur was quickly becoming soaked and even though there was a hard knot in her stomach from all the emotions getting mixed up, she wished to see her daughter. Now that she was so close, she felt she couldn't rest easy until she'd seen her daughter with her own eyes, smelled her scent with her own nose, and touched her fur with her own paws.

"Raven?" Needlepine asked, looking at the miserable looking she-cat. Raven's black fur clung in clumps to her thin sides and her whiskers dripped with rain as she laid her ears flat against her head looking more like a drowned rat than a cat.

"I'm already wet, we may as well," she growled, stepping out into the dripping forest. Rainstone and Needlepine exchanged a glance and caught up to her, padding quickly through the forest, all senses open for signs of cats.

The rain was light under the canopy of leaves, but it quickly turned the dusty trails to mud and the refreshing rain seemed to turn warm. Rainstone felt hot and sticky as twigs, leaves, and mud clung to her fur. _I remember why I hated forests so much,_ she hissed as brambles scraped her side but shook her head when Needlepine gave her a questioning look.

Unfortunately, it seemed no cats were out and about in this weather and none of them knew ThunderClan territory very well, with Needlepine being from ShadowClan and Raven haven spent most of her time in ShadowClan territory as well.

Rainstone twitched as a flash of lighting was quickly followed by a rumble of thunder. Maybe they should find shelter and wait out the storm after all. "Do we want to take shelter?" Rainstone asked Needlepine. The tom pricked his ears and looked at her, his green eyes were bright with excitement, but he seemed willing to wait a bit as he looked over her rumpled and soiled pelt.

"There's some shelter over here," Raven mewed, quickly ducking under a holly bush, amber eyes peering out at them from the safety of the bush like the bright red berries that filled the bush.

Rainstone and Needlepine joined her, shifting together as their wet pelts brushed each other and they tried to get comfortable under the poky leaves. The ground was still muddy under the holly bush, but at least most of the rain was blocked.

"We'll just stay until the thunder passes," Needlepine mewed, curling his paws underneath him and laying down with his eyes closed, oblivious to the mud and the thunder.

Raven growled at the muddy conditions but Rainstone settled down beside Needlepine, leaning against him with their tails intertwined. His deep purr echoed in her ears and she forgot about the storm and the slimy mud on her belly, dozing off as she felt warmth spread throughout her.

It seemed like forever, but not long later she was jerked awake by Raven's mew of alarm. Rainstone jumped to her paws, her lame paw slipping in the mud so that Needlepine had to catch her with his shoulder to keep her from falling face-first in the mud.

Faint light filled the forest and the rain had turned to a light drizzle despite the dark clouds and thunder that continued to rumble ominously in the distance. "Do you smell that?" Needlepine whispered, the fur on his neck beginning to prickle.

Rainstone smelled the air and tasted something acrid, a clear scent despite the rain that should have left the scents of the forest tasting fresh. "What is that?" she asked, wrinkling her nose at the bitter scent.

"Smoke?" Needlepine questioned, looking uncertainly at Raven. The black she-cat nodded tensely.

"Lighting sometimes starts small fires, especially when it was so dry beforehand. But I've never smelled the smoke this close. I can already see it," Raven squinted her eyes at the hazy trails of smoke that hung above the trees.

"Is it in ThunderClan territory?" Needlepine asked, tasting the air as if he would be able to locate the fire.

"Can't tell, it could be outside the territory, but fires spread fast. We'd better head for the lake," Raven mewed jumping to her paws and stepping out into the rain, no longer grumbling about getting wet.

Rainstone's heart was pounding in her chest as she started to follow them, heading in the direction they all knew was vaguely where the lake must lie. _A fire!_ She'd not seen fire in a very long time, she'd forgotten the smell, but she did remember the fear it had instilled. Those bright, licking flames, always hungry for more.

If the fire was in ThunderClan territory, then all the Clan was in danger. "Wait," Rainstone halted, nose to the ground, "This is a main trail used by ThunderClan," she mewed, looking at the trail. It was well trodden, and the cat scent was strong despite the rain and smoke.

"So? We need to get to the lake," Raven mewed, looking around nervously as if she expected flames to burst forth from the shadows.

"I think we should try to follow this to the camp and check on the Clan first, they may be having trouble getting every cat out," Rainstone mewed, her legs trembling. If Scorch was blind, would she be in trouble? Fear thumped heavily inside her, she needed to find her daughter.

"And three elders are going to save an entire Clan?" Raven scowled, "If they have noses and half the sense of a mouse then they're heading to the lake too."

"But some cats might have more trouble than others," Rainstone snapped, she had little appreciation for Raven acting like she was in charge.

Needlepine tasted the air and seemed to be considering. "The scent of smoke isn't that strong, I don't think the fire is nearby."

"But fire spreads quickly, and the wind is picking up," Raven mewed.

"But the wind is coming from the direction of the lake," Rainstone growled, "Try to worry about some cat other than yourself for once." Rainstone turned and started off on the trail, not quite running but moving faster than a walk.

Needlepine joined her a moment later, "We can meet up with Raven at the lake later," he huffed, panting for air as he slowed to match her pace.

Rainstone nodded, narrowing her eyes. The smell of smoke got stronger, but it wasn't overwhelming, and she still couldn't see any flames above the trees. It was like a hidden enemy, haunting the shadows but ready to burst forth any moment. She could understand that Raven didn't want to take chances, but some things were worth taking chances on.

"That's the camp," Rainstone mewed, recognizing the gorse and bramble barrier that was covered in powerful cat scent. The two cats quickly entered and found themselves in a silent clearing.

"It seems they have evacuated," Needlepine murmured, looking around quickly.

Rainstone's fur prickled, coughing a bit as she looked up at the stone cliff. A pale light gleamed at the top of the cliff. "We can probably see where the fire is from up there," she mewed, pointing with her tail, "And maybe the Clan as well."

Needlepine nodded and they both exited the camp, climbing up the hill to reach the top of the cliff. Rainstone pinned her ears back, in the distance she could see a billow of smoke and the burning red fire. It was small, but it was spreading, mostly moving away to the distant hills, but also growing a little larger in their direction. The wind wasn't strong enough to completely blow it away.

"We should head to the lake, hopefully it'll be put out soon, but we shouldn't take chances," Needlepine mewed, peering up at the dark sky.

Rainstone nodded in agreement and turned to follow him down the cliff. Now that she knew where the fire was and that the Clan was evacuated she felt better, but she still would feel better once she'd found her daughter.

At the entrance they found a strong and fresh ThunderClan scent and decided to follow it since it would probably lead them to the Clan. "Did you hear that?" Needlepine asked after they'd taken a few steps, looking back over his shoulder.

"What is it?" Rainstone asked warily, pressing her gray fur against him. She could only hear the faint drabbling of rain and the breeze rustling the leaves overhead.

"I thought I heard a call," Needlepine mewed, green eyes darkening as he looked back up at the cliff.

"You think there's still a cat around here?" Rainstone asked, she hadn't noticed any scents, but with the camp right next to them along with the smoke it would be easy to miss one scent in all the others.

"We should check, I don't think the fire will reach this far anyways," Needlepine mewed, leading her back up the hill.

Back at the top, Rainstone sniffed around the marigold patch which covered the cliffside. "I don't smell or hear anything," she mewed, pricking her ears.

"No, it's over there," Needlepine mewed, darting off in the direction of the fire.

Rainstone's tail bushed out, was he crazy?! She chased after him, ducking under bushes and squeezing between dripping ferns. "Needlepine! Stop!" she yowled, catching up to him as he looked around.

"It's a kit," he mewed, voice tense.

"There's nothing here—" Rainstone broke off as she heard a faint cry. Needlepine gave her a knowing look and then dashed off in the direction of the cry. Luckily, it wasn't directly toward the fire.

"I smell several cats," Rainstone mewed in disbelief, how could a Clan lose this many cats and not notice?

"Over here," Needlepine mewed, pushing through a bush, but he jerked back, bumping her as a dark paw shot out, claws out, nearly cutting his nose.

"What is it?" Rainstone hissed, peering past him to see frightened blue eyes.

"Get out of here, rogues, or I'll shred you!" the cat hissed.

Rainstone and Needlepine backed away from the cat, but they didn't need to move far, the young cat was tangled in a bramble bush, his dark gray pelt covered in scratches from trying to free himself from the brambles.

Rainstone peered past him, there were two kits huddled, whimpering by him. They weren't stuck, but the brambles in their pelts suggested that they had been. The stuck cat was clearly young, no doubt an apprentice of ThunderClan, he smelled as musky as a mouse.

"Let us help you," Needlepine mewed calmly, moving toward the cat again.

"No, get out of my territory, you're trespassing!"

Rainstone growled, this cat had no manners and was clearly unaware of his situation. "We're not leaving three young cats to die so shut up and let us help you," she growled, moving toward him and ignoring his threats.

He swiped at her ears and she glared at him as she felt blood trickle from the scratched, but she shook her head and dove into the bramble bush, biting off the strands that held tight to his pelt and ignoring the scratches on her muzzle.

Needlepine comforted the kits, soothing their whimpers as Rainstone freed the apprentice. It didn't take long and a couple minutes later Rainstone was licking the salty wounds on her muzzle while the apprentice shook out his pelt that was filled with brambles. "We should get these cats to the lake," Needlepine mewed. They were close enough to hear the distant roar of the fire and the dark smoke made it look almost like night.

"Wait!" the apprentice mewed desperately, looking upward at the tree the bramble bush grew next to. Rainstone followed his gaze and saw a tiny figure clinging to a branch high in the tree.

"You've got to be kidding me, we need to leave now!" Rainstone mewed hopelessly. Her heart was beating faster, they were in far too much danger here.

Rainstone looked at Needlepine but he shook his head, "If I weren't so tired I could probably climb that high, but I don't think I can manage that right now, she's nearly at the top," Needlepine mewed, his green eyes glowing with worry.

Rainstone shifted her paws, she'd never been good with tree climbing, her lame paw made it too dangerous. She was more likely to fall than to rescue the kit. "Can you do it?" she asked, looking at the apprentice.

He looked back at her, blue eyes filled with fear, "I can try," he mewed, his tone trembled, and she could see his thin shoulders shake from the efforts of getting out of the bramble bush. _He's hardly more than a kit himself._

"If you're not confident then don't. It's dark and wet, we don't need you falling and breaking your leg right now," Rainstone growled. But what were they to do? Needlepine hadn't climbed a tree in ages, but she knew he would rather put his life at risk than leave the kit to die and there wasn't enough time to get some other cat.

"For stars sake, I'll grab the kit," Rainstone jumped as Raven padded out of the dark bush behind her.

"You're here?" Rainstone mewed wonderingly, looking at the black she-cat with a bit of apology for being short-tempered earlier, she was incredibly relieved to see the lithe black cat.

"When you didn't come to the lake I figured you'd gotten into some trouble," Raven mewed, crouching and launching herself at the tree. In a flash the black she-cat had swarmed up the tree and plucked the tiny and shivering kit from the branches before jumping down from the tree.

"Grab a kit and let's go," Raven grumbled, handing the shivering kit to the apprentice who murmured comforting words to it. Needlepine nodded in thanks to Raven and grabbed one of the kits he'd been comforting while Rainstone grabbed the other, following Raven swiftly toward the lake.

Rainstone's fears alleviated as they left the roaring fire far behind. She hoped the rain would pick up and put it out, but for now they'd better focus on getting these kits to their mother, _they must be scared and shocked._ As they walked along Needlepine bumped her, giving her a happy look as he looked at the kit in her mouth, it had fallen asleep, exhausted by its escapade.

"You still have a mother's touch," he murmured, "Meanwhile…" he looked down at the kit he was carrying, it was squirming and twisting in his grasp, giving little growls of protest as he was carried.

Rainstone gave a purr of amusement and felt a pang of sadness. She couldn't banish the guilt she felt that she hadn't given Needlepine the family he would have loved. But her heart couldn't take any more sadness. But now, maybe, they'd be able to find their daughter.

"The Clan is just ahead," Raven mewed, slowing down and dropping from the leading position. The apprentice jumped at his chance and raced ahead onto the lakeshore, greeting his Clan with a muffled call, trying not to drop the kit in his mouth which protested shrilly at the rough movements.

Rainstone and Needlepine hung back awkwardly, setting their kits down and letting them run wobbly to their friends and family and she watched dark silhouettes greet the kits lovingly. Rainstone's eyes scanned the dark cluster of cats on the lakeshore desperately, trying to find one out of many.

"The rain is finally here," Needlepine murmured, looking up as the dark clouds that finally broke into a torrential downpour. There were a few cries of surprise from the Clan on the lakeshore, but most were cries of joy. This rain would put out the fire for sure.

Rainstone leaned against Needlepine, claws digging into the ground, "Do you see her?" she whispered. Needlepine didn't answer, every sense focused on the Clan of cats in front of them.

"Excuse me," the two cats jumped at the voice that approached from beside them. They'd been so focused on looking for Scorch, they hadn't noticed him coming toward them. Even in the dark Rainstone could sense power and authority in the gray tom's stance. "Are you two Scorch's parents?" he asked quietly.

Rainstone was numb with shock and it was Needlepine who gave a wary nod.

The gray tom made a slight noise of surprise, "I guess she's never been wrong before," he muttered to himself, then said to them. "I'm happy to meet you, though I wish the circumstances were different. My name is Boulderstar, I'm the leader of ThunderClan."


	2. Chapter 2

Rainstone shifted her paws, this cat—Boulderstar—had welcomed them without much of an introduction of who they were or what they were doing in is territory and he was now inviting them to meet his Clan. A clan which was displaced from their camp because of a fire that had threatened their livelihood not moments ago.

The dark sky poured rain and the wind whipped the lake into a torrent, splashing higher along the pebbly lakeshore and forcing some cats to retreat from the shoreline or risk getting pulled away in the strong current.

"Boulderstar, thank you for your welcome, but please attend to your Clan. Rainstone and I will leave you for the night and return in the morning when you have all returned to your home," Needlepine mewed, stepping up to the leader without a shred of hesitation.

Boulderstar blinked once, not betraying a single emotion in his blue eyes, and bowed his head. "Thank you, we will wait for you after the queens, kits, and elders have been settled safely in the camp again."

The gray leader turned away, oblivious to the rain that drenched his coat as he began to usher orders to his Clan to protect the youngest and oldest members. Rainstone held her breath, feeling herself left cold and empty. She wanted to see her daughter now, at this very moment, even if they couldn't talk yet.

But it was impossible, even if she had remembered Scorch's scent, to distinguish it from the wet horde of scents in front of her was impossible and the rain worsened the visibility. Had Scorch noticed them? It seemed a few cats had been alerted to their presence, but there wasn't much surprise or alarm which Rainstone found uncharacteristic of Clan cats.

They'd always been fiercely suspicious of outsiders, and the apprentice they'd met earlier had acted exactly as she'd expected. But perhaps the fire had been such a shock that nothing surprised them now and, after all, two elderly loners posed no threat to a Clan.

"Let's go for right now, everything will be better by morning," Needlepine whispered, brushing his tail along her spine and turning her away from the dark mass of drenched cats and into the dripping forest.

"Alright, let's find someplace relatively dry," Raven mewed as they approached her. The black she-cat had hung back during the meeting with Boulderstar and Rainstone could see she had grown increasingly uncomfortable as they approached the Clans.

"Wait, let me lead you to a place where you can stay the night."

The three cats turned at the new voice behind them. For a moment Rainstone was confused, she didn't see any cat nearby them, but then she spotted a small figure in the shadow of a tree. "Who are you?" Raven eyed him suspiciously as the small tom padded closer to them.

He dipped his head as he stood in front of them. "Boulderstar asked me to take you to a place where you can spend the night. I am the medicine-cat apprentice of ThunderClan and my name is Rainfall." The small tom straightened up and Rainstone noticed that he had bright green eyes, the exact color of Needlepine's, except they were more somber while Needlepine's were playful.

"Very well," Rainstone agreed before the other two could say anything, "Lead the way."

"Thank you," Rainfall mewed, turning and leading them slowly through the forest. Even though it was nearly pitch-black, and though the rain and smoke had tainted the scents of the forest, Rainfall led them confidently onward without hesitation, unperturbed at guiding three strangers through his territory.

"Are all your Clan-mates alright?" Needlepine asked Rainfall as they walked along.

The gray tom made a slight movement, as if he'd been surprised by the question, but quickly regained his composure. "Yes, just a little fright is all. Especially when we found that Sootpaw and the three kits had gotten separated from us. We had sent cats out searching for them, but we didn't know where to look. Luckily it seems you found them and helped them get back, or that's what Sootpaw said."

 _At least he's an honest cat,_ Rainstone thought dryly, remembering the young cat's hostility. "Did Boulderstar tell you anything about us?" Rainstone asked. Boulderstar had known they were Scorch's parents, but she hadn't met Scorch in the Clan yet and she wondered what sort of position she had. Her heart grew tight, what if Scorch was sick or weak? After all, Scorch was blind, some accident could have befallen her.

"Is there a cat named Scorch in this Clan?" Rainstone added when Rainfall didn't answer.

Again, she thought the tom was startled by the question but this time he looked back at the three of them, nodding warily and keeping his green eyes fixed upon her. Rainstone again marveled at how similar his eyes were to Needlepine.

"I'm sure you'll meet her tomorrow when you come to the camp since Boulderstar said he invited the three of you," the gray tom picked up the pace, forcing the tired, older cats to break into a brisk jog which prevented any further conversation.

They soon arrived in a clearing that was blanketed with shadows. Ahead there was a large structure surrounded by a low barrier of crumbling stone. "This is an abandoned twoleg nest. It's a little drafty but in this weather, it shouldn't matter. This is well inside ThunderClan's territory so there should be no threat from hostile animals or other Clans."

Rainstone's ears pricked, "Is there trouble with other Clans?" she asked, rather surprised. She'd known there was tension between the Clans about borders, but when she'd lived in the Clans the threat had so clearly been individual cats inside the Clans that any Clan rivalry hadn't affected her.

"It's normal to be wary about other Clans, it's not unusual," Needlepine mewed softly to her and she nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable when she remembered that when Needlepine had been a ShadowClan cat he must have harbored similar feelings toward other Clans, including RiverClan and ThunderClan. _After all, I know that's why we had kept our relationship a secret all that time we were in the Clans._

Rainfall halted in front of the wall and turned toward them, "Some cat will be sent to guide you to the camp in the morning."

"Don't bother, we can find our own way," Raven growled, narrowing her eyes.

"No, it's better that you don't wander around. A cat will be sent. For now, make yourselves at home, but I must be getting back to my Clanmates." The three cats watched the young tom rush away, clearing a fallen log with a single jump to be swallowed up by the shadows.

"He's an interesting cat, and quite agile for a medicine-cat apprentice," Needlepine commented, a wondering tone in his voice. _He must have noticed the similarity too._

"It's been a long day," Rainstone sighed, "Let's try to get some sleep." The three senior cats surmounted the wall without much trouble and took care to inspect the area before entering the abandoned twoleg nest. The nest was dark, musty, and creaked like a branch about to break, but it didn't bother the three cats, who had slept in worse places before.

With a quick goodnight, the three cats were curled up in balls in the middle of the floor, softly dreaming the night away.

* * *

The next morning Rainstone opened her eyes to dusty sunlight filtering into the abandoned nest through the holes in the roof. The air was cool and sweet to Rainstone as she tasted the air, a refreshing reprieve after days of heavy humidity.

She sat up and began grooming her fur, watching over her two resting comrades as she smoothed out her gray fur that was sticky and clumpy from yesterday's adventures. Luckily, most of the mud had been washed out by the heavy rain on their trek to the nest, but she found some twigs and brambles that had been bothering her all night.

Once finished, she stood and stretched languidly, padding over to a pool of sunlight and reveling in the warmth soaking into her fur. "Good morning," a sleepy greeting made her look back over her shoulder at Needlepine who was giving an enormous yawn that showed off all his darkening teeth. He blinked the water out of his eyes and with a small effort jumped to his feet, shaking out his fur vigorously.

"Is the guide here yet?" he asked eagerly, jumping over to her side and looking around.

Rainstone leaned against his warm fur and shook her head, "It's barely dawn, and they were a little disorganized last night. Groom your fur and I'll go catch us something to eat," she mewed.

Needlepine shifted his paws, "Can we hunt in their territory?" he asked nervously.

"Why not? They welcomed us, even if we don't catch our own prey, they're still going to have to feed us. We just save them work this way," Rainstone flicked her tail.

"I know that, it's just that in the Clans there's more than just logic coming into consideration with decisions like that," Needlepine mewed, narrowing his eyes. "Only the members of the Clan are supposed to hunt in their own territory."

Rainstone shook her head, "I still don't see the problem."

Needlepine frowned, "It's like… even if we were to give shelter to some cats in our den, we wouldn't let them sleep in our own nests, right? Even if it's big enough to share, we would expect that they would sleep on the floor or that we'd help them make their own nest for the night. But what was ours, we wouldn't share. Clan cats are very possessive in that way."

Rainstone tilted her head, "It makes a little sense, but we're not talking about nests, we're talking about prey. But—" she paused when she saw Needlepine's expression, "If you're that concerned, we can wait to ask for permission first. Even if I am hungry," she grumbled.

Needlepine purred in thanks and entwined his tail with hers, "I don't want to get accused of stealing until after we get to see our daughter."

"Doesn't seem like you'll have to wait long, here comes our guide," Raven mewed, coming up quietly behind them. Rainstone nodded, she'd smelled the fresh cat-scent and the three of them left the nest to go greet their guide.

Hopping on top of the low wall that surrounded the nest, they waited patiently for the approaching cat, who seemed more nervous than themselves. The cat was a lanky, pale gray tom with yellow eyes who approached with a twitch of the ears and a strain of cautiousness crackling through his pelt.

He greeted them with a guarded nod from several fox-lengths away as they jumped down from the wall. "My name is Stoneheart, Boulderstar asked that I escort you to the camp."

Needlepine bowed his head, "Thank you, my name is Needlepine, this is Rainstone, and this is Raven," the tom introduced them cordially and set them at ease with his easy tone.

The gray tom nodded his head in greeting, a gleam of curiosity and interest in his pale eyes. "My father, Boulderstar, told me that Needlepine and Rainstone are the parents of Scorch, is that true?" He asked, leading them at a comfortable pace through the peaceful forest.

Needlepine nodded, "Yes, though we haven't seen her since she was a kit," his tone grew taunt and Rainstone pressed herself against him.

Stoneheart nodded, "Scorch has lived in the Clans since long before I was born, she was only a kit when she helped save the Clans. But you'll be able to talk to her soon," the gray tom dropped the conversation and they passed quietly along a well-traversed path through the undergrowth.

Rainstone observed the lithe gray tom, noticing how similarly his ample body moved compared to Needlepine. _I must be imagining things, I'm starting to see things that aren't there._ They were getting closer to the camp but just before the scent got too thick Stoneheart veered off the path and instead led them to a more secluded, mossy clearing lush in greenery.

Rainstone opened her mouth, frowning in confusion, but her voice of inquiry died as a fresh scent hit her nose. It was sweet and familiar and enveloped her in a sensation of warmth and blissful joy. In dreamlike slowness she stepped past Stoneheart and Needlepine who stood with a trembling tail and a breath caught in his throat. Without thinking twice, she flew across the clearing and buried her nose in the red and black fur of a cat with dark green eyes and a heavenly purr.

"Scorch… Scorch, is that really you?" her whisper was choked, and she scrunched her eyes tight as she felt her chest about to explode in joy and sorrow.

"Mother, yes, it's me," Scorch's voice was foreign, and yet Rainstone felt like she'd known it forever. Scorch was trembling from her deep purr as Rainstone nuzzled her tenderly, as if she would break if she pushed too hard. Needlepine joined them, his deep purr joining Scorch's as he wrapped himself around his daughter.

Rainstone breathed in deeply, moving her muzzle up and down Scorch's back. It was incredible, she could feel the memory of Scorch's tiny figure being whisked away by the black torrential water being replaced by this cat all grown up with such loveliness and strength evident in every movement she made.

"Scorch, my daughter, I'm so sorry that we lost you that night. I'm sorry we weren't there to help you, that we never found you, that for so long we stayed away," Rainstone whispered her regrets to her daughter, the shame that had pulled her away now made her feverish as she admitted all that had haunted her.

She had been a mother, but she'd let her daughter get swept away. Why hadn't she dived into the water, why hadn't she searched the beaches until she found Scorch? Why didn't she look the world over for her precious daughter? And when she'd learned Scorch was alive and well in the Clans, what had kept her from rushing to see her again? In this moment, all her fears and terrors were melted away as the pure bliss of reunion engulfed her.

There was no malice, no hostility, no blame in Scorch's purr, only happiness- sweet and loving. Rainstone's painful feelings lifted and she caressed her daughter, reveling that this was her daughter. Her own flesh and blood, the blossom of her love with Needlepine, her very own legacy—a much prouder one than she had been.

Stoneheart and Raven had left the small family alone as they started talking, each cat taking their turn to speak to each other—speaking in a swift flow as if they were going to run out of time. Scorch had so much to tell them, the story of her life pouring out of her mouth.

She told of her journey with rogues to the Clans, of meeting the ancestors and Leafpaw and Boulderstar—then, Boulderpaw. Of plotting to save ShadowClan and RiverClan, of barely succeeding, of saving ThunderClan and WindClan. The tale of gaining and losing friends, the sadness and joy intertwined in a melody that sang of a full life. But it didn't end with the liberation of the Clans, she told of learning to live with her blindness, of her life with Boulderstar, and her kits.

And Needlepine and Rainstone listened hungrily, holding their breaths as Scorch told them all that they had missed so that it felt as if they'd been by her side the whole time. And they, in turn, told Scorch of what they'd done.

They had searched for her for moons and had continued going on expeditions and helped loners and rogues in trouble. That was how they'd met Raven and Amelia, they told Scorch of chasing out rogues and protecting the weak. But Rainstone decided to skip over the part of when they'd met Jay, she felt that was a conversation for some other time.

"You have to meet the Clan!" Scorch mewed excitedly, jumping to her paws, her tail tip flicking back and forth energetically. Needlepine caught his daughter's enthusiasm and got to his own paws, nodding vigorously.

Rainstone was less excited, nervous at the prospect of so many eyes upon her and she knew they wouldn't all be as welcoming as Boulderstar. _But with Scorch and Boulderstar so welcoming, I imagine it should go over smoothly._

"So, if you're mates with Boulderstar, then both Rainfall and Stoneheart are your sons?" Rainstone asked curiously, maybe she hadn't imagined the similarities between Needlepine and the young toms.

Scorch nodded, sightless eyes brimming with pleasure, "You'll be able to meet all my kits at the camp, except…" her voice trailed off and a look of sweet sadness came over face. "Two of my kits are no longer with us."

Rainstone pricked her ears but decided it best to not press the issue for now. Instead she leaned herself on one side of Scorch and Needlepine pressed against her other side as they headed for the camp. "You're going to love them, all the ThunderClan cats are so nice, they've helped me so much and have fully accepted me as one of them," the red and black she-cat mewed, exuberant at the prospect of sharing her life with her long-lost parents.

The sun was cresting the tops of the trees when they padded into the camp together. Curious eyes turned toward them and Rainstone relaxed a little when she saw only wariness and nervousness in their faces. Plus, there was hardly any cat in the clearing of the camp—the morning patrols must have left, and the others were sleeping after the long, restless night.

Scorch led them confidently through camp to a corner of the camp, "I think there is some cat you are going to recognize here," she mewed, stepping around a gorse screen and leading them into a cool cave. "Skypool, are you here?"

 _Skypool?! She's still alive?!_ Rainstone shared a look of amazement with Needlepine. Skypool had been an experienced medicine-cat when she had first come to the Clans, to think she was still alive and serving as a medicine-cat!

"What do you need so early in the morning?" a grumpy voice rumbled back.

"Why, Skypool! It's mid-morning already, Rainfall has been out collecting herbs since sunrise," Scorch purred, her happiness undampened in the face of such testiness.

Rainstone watched in amazement as Skypool climbed to her paws. She was old, older than herself without a doubt. Her silver-blue fur was thin, and the darker gray-blue patches had faded to more of a steel gray while her green eyes were dim with age and silver hairs specked her muzzle.

But Rainstone knew her instantly, true she didn't know Skypool well, but they had met before at what seemed now to be a long ago and forgotten time. "Skypool, I'm happy to see you're doing well," Needlepine mewed with warmth and Rainstone nodded her agreement.

"Well this brings back memories," Skypool mewed, surprise lighting her eyes, "I'd heard we had some visitors, but I didn't think it was the two of you. No cat has seen you since the night when Pinefur and that other cat took over the Clans."

Rainstone dipped her head, feeling her fur prickling, "We escaped from the Clans and have been living far away, but we wanted to see our daughter," her eyes landed tenderly on Scorch and the red and black she-cat beamed as if she could see the look herself.

"I see, well it's about time, Scorch has been waiting for you two," Skypool mewed, getting to her paws. "Let's talk outside, I need to get something to eat," Skypool mewed, leading them out of the den.

Rainstone followed them outside, sweeping a glance over the den. Undoubtedly, Scorch's scent was strong in this den, _was Scorch a medicine-cat? No, medicine-cats can't have mates, right?_ Frowning, she stepped into the clearing, feeling the warm sun on her back and padding over to the others who were picking at the remains of a fresh-kill pile.

Her stomach rumbled, and she recalled that she hadn't had anything to eat since that scrawny rabbit at sun-high yesterday. As she was gloomily picking over the meager and stale pieces of food a sound climbed over the forest that made her jump and squeezed herself next to Needlepine's side.

The yowl called sleeping cats out of their dens and a moment later a figure burst through the gorse entrance and was immediately met with worried calls and a senior, lithe storm-gray she-cat whom Rainstone recognized but couldn't name.

"Beetlepaw, what is going on?" the gray she-cat asked the young tabby tom whose sides were heaving as he caught his breath.

"Trouble on the WindClan border, they're hunting on our land and the patrol is too large for us to confront them on our own. My mentor sent me for reinforcements," Beetlepaw gasped.

The gray she-cat's eyes darkened, and she looked around, "Boulderstar is checking on the fire damage, Dovepaw," she called a young pale brown she-cat forward, "Go alert Boulderstar and be careful, since we don't know for sure that all the fire was extinguished."

Then she turned to the warriors, "Coalspark, take five cats and backup Smokeclaw's patrol, I'll stay here and defend the camp in case this is a diversion."

A dark gray tom with silver stripes quickly gathered five warriors and raced out of the camp with Beetlepaw and the gray she-cat started organizing lookouts and ordered the queens, kits, and elders to their dens.

"Skypool, Scorch, where's Rainfall?" the gray she-cat demanded, her eyes flitting over the visitors for half a heartbeat.

"He went out to collect herbs, he should be back soon, Wispheart," Scorch assured her.

Wispheart growled, "I can't send either of you to the border though."

Rainstone exchanged a glance with Needlepine, "Wispheart, I can go," she mewed, stepping forward to Scorch's side. After hearing the name Wispheart Rainstone had remembered who this was, it was the sister of Spiritstorm who had been mates with Scamp.

The gray she-cat hesitated but with a nod from both Scorch and Skypool relented, "Thank you, Rainstone, we appreciate the help. Scorch and Skypool will give you some herbs and then I'll have Sootpaw escort you to the border—he's the apprentice you met yesterday."

Rainstone nodded and Scorch laid her tail on her shoulders, "Thank you, mother." Rainstone purred lightly, but her belly was getting tight. _Oh stars, this isn't how I expected this reunion to go, please let everything be okay._


	3. Chapter 3

With a mouth full of bitter herbs that tickled her mouth, Rainstone chased after the lashing gray tail of Sootpaw as he led her swiftly through the light and shadows cast by trees and shrubbery. "Wait," Rainstone huffed as her lame paw tripped over a vine.

Sootpaw halted up ahead, looking over his shoulder with his tail tip twitching impatiently as she regained her footing. "Hurry up," he snapped, padding back and circling around her impatiently as she grabbed the cobwebs she had dropped when she'd tripped.

"Make yourself useful and grab some of these," Rainstone retorted, passing some of the herbs in her mouth to him.

Sootpaw wrinkled his nose and grabbed a mouthful of herbs from her, their whiskers brushing as he gave her a wary stare and then spun on his haunches to shoot off again along the crowded trail. Rainstone pinned back her ears and gave chase, feeling her stomach twist and turn as each pawstep took her ever closer to the battlefield.

She wasn't the most talented cat with herbs, but she was well experienced. She had seen her fair share of battles and scuffles and had no doubt about her ability to aid the Clan cats. But it was true that after moons of peace, the sudden tension in the air left her heart ill at ease.

Since leaving the Clans she had mostly fought with arrogant rogues and surly loners, only occasionally had she had to face any emotion stronger than irritation from another cat. But now she could feel a heavy degree of vexation emanating from Sootpaw, his eyes were glazed dark and although it wasn't the most vibrant she had ever seen, the intent to fight was clear.

Rainstone's fur rose along her shoulders as she heard the distant tell-tale sounds of a battle—blood-curling shrieks and battle cries disturbed the forest. _Coalspark must have thrown his patrol into the fray and tossed the border into chaos._ Rainstone could see birds fleeing and a startled squirrel fled mere tail-lengths past her.

Her teeth clenched as the scents of fear and blood overpowered the scent of herbs. She slowed and signaled to Sootpaw, he stopped and impatiently kneaded his paws in the ground. "Neither of us are fighting, so sheath your claws," she ordered quietly. Sootpaw glared at her put reluctantly complied, shifting his weight from paw to paw.

"Let's find a safe place closer to the border and then your job will be to bring any injured cat to me to heal, got it? You are not to get involved in a fight, I'm not strong enough to get an injured cat off the battlefield, so that will be your job."

Sootpaw nodded, "But what if one of my Clanmates is about to be killed? I can't just ignore them!"

"Sootpaw," Rainstone mewed sternly, looking him squarely in the eye. "I doubt that situation would happen, and as a member of ThunderClan I expect you to exercise discretion. Protect your Clanmates and fulfill your mission."

Sootpaw narrowed his eyes, "You're not in charge!"

Rainstone hissed in annoyance, "Isn't what I said exactly what Whispheart said?" Sootpaw scowled but nodded. "Good, now let's go," Rainstone led them cautiously closer to the battle and Sootpaw found her a small mossy spot that was close enough to the battle but was protected by thick brambles on three sides.

"I'll go look for anyone whose injured," the dark gray apprentice mewed and Rainstone nodded, tensely sorting the herbs into neat piles and taking care not to damage the leaves as she flattened them out. The scent of blood tainted the air and the sounds of battle pounded painfully on her ears and she dreaded awaiting injured cats with those sensations echoing around her.

It wasn't long that she had to wait, paws twitching in nervousness and eyes shifting from shadow to shadow. Sootpaw soon reappeared, supporting a limping cream she-cat with dark brown paws and amber eyes. Sootpaw left the panting she-cat in her care and rushed off without a word and Rainstone quickly assessed the she-cat's condition.

The scratches she had received were shallow, though they persisted to bleed and there was a nasty looking bite to her ear that flowed profusely with blood. Though the real cause for injury was a claw that had been torn out and left the cream she-cat wincing in pain.

Because there was still a battle waging, Rainstone quickly gave the injured paw a poultice which she secured on with practice ease and swathed the ear with marigold and cobwebs. The scratches could wait and Rainstone gave the she-cat some thyme to chew on which would help her calm down.

"Thank you," the she-cat mewed, though she'd remained suspiciously silent through most of the treatment. "Can I return to the fight?"

Rainstone nodded tersely, "Be careful with that paw though, it'll be sore, and you don't want to make it any worse. Hopefully this fight will be over soon," she muttered.

The cream she-cat nodded, determination gleaming in her amber eyes, "We'll drive those flea-bitted rabbit off our land and make sure they never come back," the she-cat growled so viciously Rainstone flinched, but the she-cat didn't notice and paced off determinedly to the battle.

Rainstone had barely finished tiding up her herbs when she had to leap away to avoid two cats locked in a furious brawl. Dodging flailing limbs, she quickly rescued her herbs that were in danger of being smushed and torn apart, protecting them with her body as tails and limbs brushed past her.

Retreating with a beating heart, she recognized Coalspark, the cat who had led the support patrol, gripping an unknown WindClan brown tabby tom who hissed and spat as Coalspark gave him sharp jabs and bites, ignoring the scratches he received in return.

"Let him go!" Rainstone ordered, seeing that the tabby was quickly growing weaker as his blood ran down his fur. Coalspark looked up, sharp green eyes meeting hers. When their eyes met, the dark gray tom visibly flinched, and a look of incredulity passed over his face, but then it passed, and he let the tabby up, chasing him away with a few nips and kicks to the hind-quarters.

"Who are you?" Coalspark demanded, turning toward her and squaring his shoulders defensively.

Rainstone didn't move a muscle, "Scorch's mother."

The dark gray tom gave a start and closed his eyes, seeming to take a deep breath before opening them again. "Do you know how to use those?" he asked, gesturing towards the herbs. Rainstone nodded slowly and he angled his ears toward the battle-field, "The fighting is almost finished, go help the others."

The tom shot escaped into the undergrowth and disappeared, like a fish diving into dark water. and Rainstone was left feeling cold and wondering. _He looked at me like he knew me… but I've never seen him before today._ There had been such a look of horror and guilt on his face, it brought back a distant better-forgotten memory. It was the way that Night had looked at her after he had almost killed her, the memory hadn't passed her thoughts in many seasons, but now it ached like a fresh wound.

Rainstone stamped her foot and shook her head, this was no time to let old memories distract her. Grabbing her herbs, she braced herself and raced as fast and as awkwardly as she could to the battlefield, trying not to retch at the sight of scattered clumps of fur and muddy blood pools dotting the forest as they streamed down a slope into a ditch with a tiny, trickling stream.

The last few cats were retreating, bloody and angry, spitting insults and venom back at the victors as they dispersed into the forest on their side of the border. However, Rainstone wasn't concerned with that and immediately fell to treating injuries and inspecting wounds.

Although she was hesitant at first as she clumsily tried to apply poultices with her one good paw while sitting on her haunches, she soon found a rhythm and before Boulderstar had arrived she had finished treating the more serious injuries—the most serious injury was only an injured eye which she believed would recover in time provided it didn't become infected.

When Boulderstar arrived, he went to the two leaders of the patrols, namely Smokeclaw and Coalspark. Rainstone hung back on the edges as the cats gathered around the three cats that stood at the top of the ditch that held the stream that served as a natural border.

She soon found Sootpaw had wandered back over to her. She scanned his dark gray fur, he had a few scratches and the tufts of fur in his claws betrayed that he had been fighting. But Rainstone just greeted him with a nod, after all, she wasn't part of ThunderClan and since no lives had been lost she wasn't going to scold him for disobeying her.

"Do fights happen often?" Rainstone murmured, trying to hear Smokeclaw's description of the confrontation.

Sootpaw shrugged, sitting down on the leaf-covered forest floor, closing his eyes as the sounds of the forest slowly returned to the area. "We haven't had a fight with WindClan for a while, but around the time I became an apprentice their presence on the border became stronger, so we were prepared for this."

"I thought the Clans would have been at peace now that they're free," the older gray she-cat sighed, closing her dark eyes to the blood splattered battlefield.

Sootpaw shifted awkwardly, "That was all settled long before I was even born, and a lot of cats don't remember what it was like anymore. Boulderstar was just an apprentice when the Clans were freed. There have been lots of fights between the Clans, especially thanks to _that_ cat," the gray apprentice growled.

Rainstone was about to ask who he meant when she spotted Coalspark glaring in their direction. Sootpaw must have noticed too, because he closed his mouth and remained silent as Boulderstar walked among his clanmates, checking their injuries and giving his praises.

Rainstone watched him carefully, his eyes were carefully free of any emotion other than concern. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking about this fight, she sighed as he ordered the cats who had participated in the battle back to camp while his patrol reset the border markings and made sure that the WindClan cats had left.

"Sootpaw, Rainstone," Boulderstar signaled to the two of them as the other cats started back to the camp.

The dark gray apprentice eagerly approached his leader and Rainstone followed more warily. "You did well, Sootpaw, the others said that you helped them out a lot. And Rainstone, thank you for sharing your knowledge with the Clan," the leader mewed warmly, but still with a guarded expression.

"Of course, you're welcome," Rainstone murmured, lowering her head. "But if you don't mind me asking, have relations between the Clans been bad for very long?"

Boulderstar's ear twitched, "I'm not sure that it's a concern you need to worry about, but I'm sure Scorch will be happy to tell you all about it," he dismissed them with a flick of his tail.

Rainstone gave Sootpaw a questioning look as he left them, and he shrugged, but then straightened as a young pale brown she-cat with darker brown paws and ear-tips and warm brown eyes bounded toward them. Rainstone recognized her as Dovepaw, the apprentice dispatched to bring Boulderstar and his patrol to the battle.

"Boulderstar said I could return to camp with you two," the apprentice mewed happily, nodding her head in greeting.

Sootpaw nodded, a pleased expression on his face, "You got to Boulderstar pretty quick, you must have run really fast," the tom mewed, pulling a little ahead of Rainstone with his denmate at his side.

Dovepaw nodded sheepishly, "It was easier to find them then I thought, and it wasn't as scary in the burn area as I though it would be. In fact, without all the plants, I was able to run faster than normal. But I'm jealous of you, you got to fight! Do those hurt?" Dovepaw asked, anxiously looking at Sootpaw's scratched shoulders.

Sootpaw shook his head until his ears flapped, "I can't even feel them!" he boasted.

Rainstone's whiskers twitched in amusement as she watched the backs of the young apprentices. Her paws ached from running and then the work of putting poultices on so many wounds, so she enjoyed the light breeze that ruffled her fur and the smooth dirt trail beneath her paws.

"What do you think Boulderstar will say at the gathering tomorrow?" Dovepaw's worried whisper awoke her attention. Rainstone pretended she hadn't heard, since the two apprentices were looking back at her suspiciously—clearly, they didn't want her to overhear them. But what they didn't know was that even though she was old, she wasn't deaf yet.

"I think he'll have to straight-out demand an explanation. It was a pretty bold move on their part and the timing in conjunction with the fire leaves little doubt that they specifically decided to make a move when they knew we had just suffered," Sootpaw growled angrily.

Dovepaw nodded, "I hope I'll be able to go, I want to be there with my Clan."

Sootpaw grumbled something Rainstone couldn't catch and the pale she-cat touched Sootpaw's shoulder soothingly. "I'm sure your mentor will let you go to a gathering again soon."

Sootpaw shook his head, "Coalspark isn't the forgiving type, I disobey him once and he lengthens my apprenticeship for a moon and puts me on elder duty for half a moon and then pretty much ignores me when we aren't training."

Dovepaw purred soothingly, "I'm sure he's just testing you. If you follow his orders and do well, he'll have no choice but to forgive you eventually."

"I hope you're right," the dark gray tom sighed. They fell silent after that, and since they were nearly at camp, the apprentices sped up, leaving Rainstone to enter the chaotic clearing by herself.

Her fur prickled as she slunk into the camp, terribly aware of how out of place she was in a Clan's camp even if her daughter was a member of the Clan. Cats were running here and there, questioning the warriors and apprentices who had participated in the battle while others brought moss and water for the medicine-cats.

Rainstone spotted Scorch hard at work, deftly applying poultices and bandaging wounds with cobwebs as easily as if she could see everything she was doing. Spying the two medicine-cats, Rainstone saw that Skypool was tending to the less serious wounds—scratches and shallow bites. While Scorch was caring for the more intermediate injuries such as deeper cuts, bites, and sprains. And Rainfall took care of the most serious injuries, including the one with the injured eye and the cats whose wounds needed more than a simple poultice and bandage.

 _So that's how the skill level is divided, of course, Skypool's skill far outclassed the other two because of the incredible experience she had._ But even at a distance, Rainstone could see that Skypool couldn't move fast enough to efficiently care for the time-sensitive serious injuries.

While the Clan recovered, Rainstone joined Needlepine who was crouched in the shadows near a honeysuckle den that was threaded into a hollow log. "How was the battle?" Needlepine asked, as she crouched by him, pressing himself against her side in comfort.

"Stressful," Rainstone sighed, "I can't face such hostile emotions so easily after the peace we've enjoyed for so long."

"Those rogues weren't especially peaceful," Raven snorted, opening an amber eye from where she was curled in shadows, taking a nap.

"But they weren't so emotionally charged either, Clan cats get riled up easily and use their emotions when they fight. Though, a good warrior knows how to not let anger overwhelm him," Needlepine mewed.

Rainstone nodded in agreement, _that one cat, Coalspark, was perfectly calm. And powerful, I can see him moving up in the Clan quite a bit,_ she pondered again about that look he'd given her. "The tension is dying down," Raven observed.

The three cats watched as the buzz from the battle subsided and cats started reorganizing into hunting patrols and an additional border patrol and sentry. It seemed all the cats had been tended to and while Rainfall and Skypool gathered up their remaining herbs, Scorch lifted her nose, tasting the air with her mouth open before turning toward them, dark eyes focusing on nothing as she trotted happily toward them.

"Thank you so much, mother," Scorch mewed, touching noses with her. Rainstone closed her eyes in bliss, motherly warmth overwhelming her as Scorch settled in between her and Needlepine. Raven curled up back to sleep, allowing them to talk in peace.

At first, they talked about the injuries, as Rainstone had suspected, none of them were terribly bad and the cat with the injured eye was expected to recover in a few sunrises. But Rainstone soon turned the conversation to what concerned her, "Why are Clan relations so bad right now?"

Scorch shifted awkwardly, "Relations aren't actually as bad now as they were a couple of moons ago. We were fighting every moon for a while last leaf-fall, and the Clans were exposing themselves to danger by weakening themselves right before leaf-bare. All in all, this fight was minor and probably won't lead to anything but a heated discussion at the next gathering. Boulderstar is in conference with some of his senior warriors and deputy right now, they're going to decide how to handle this."

"Do you think WindClan was just trying their luck after the fire?" Needlepine asked, frowning.

Scorch shrugged, "Probably."

"I would expect ShadowClan to do that, but not WindClan. I thought they preferred fleeing to fighting," Needlepine purred but Rainstone was uncomfortably aware that Needlepine still harbored Clan prejudice even after so long.

"No, ShadowClan has been an ally more often than WindClan, so relations are better with them. Though, I think ShadowClan would support WindClan over us, since they have more to gain by taking our territory over WindClan territory," Scorch pondered.

"Do they need more territory?" Rainstone asked, surprised.

Scorch shook her head, "No, but taking more territory is a sign of strength and expansion. All the Clans are weak right now, so whoever is the first to successfully steal some territory would be recognized as the strongest."

"But why do they need to be stronger than any of the others?" Rainstone growled, clawing at the ground.

Scorch lowered her voice, "It's also a personal matter. Several cats lost their lives in battles last leaf-fall, so revenge fights have occurred a few times," Scotch's voice caught, and she turned her face away, closing her eyes.

Rainstone moved instinctively to give her daughter a reassuring lick, encouraging her to keep talking. "My daughter, Emberheart, lost her life in a battle. Those wounds… they don't fade very easily, and no amount of logic can think away to desire for someone to pay for what happened." Rainstone's heart filled with compassion for her daughter and she rested her chin on Scorch's head in comfort. She knew very well what it was like to lose a kit, she imagined it was worse when the perpetrators continued to survive, but still, was battle and more pain and death the only solution? She'd lived long enough to know that fighting only insinuated more fighting.

"But you had another daughter too, where is she?" Rainstone murmured, changing the subject and undeniably curious about Jay and what had caused her to leave the Clan.

Scorch blinked in surprise, lifting her head out of her grief. "You're right, I do have another daughter. She's technically dead, as far as the Clans are concerned at least, but I know that she is alive," Scorch's face took on a far-off gaze as if she were seeing something they couldn't.

"If you ask me, it's for the best she's gone," a voice growled and Rainstone looked up from Scorch to see a senior golden she-cat with black spots and sharp green eyes. _She looks familiar… ah yes! I met her when she was an apprentice!_ Rainstone felt uncomfortably old when she realized this cat was probably nearing the age of retirement.

"Leopardspot," Scorch dipped her head respectfully, "I understand and respect your opinions, but please don't say such things unnecessarily." Rainstone could hear the pain in Scorch's voice, as if she were walking on sharp stones.

Leopardspot snorted but nodded in agreement, continuing her way toward an assembling hunting patrol. "Why would she say such a thing?" Needlepine sounded taken aback, eyes wide to show he couldn't comprehend one Clanmate wishing another ill.

Scorch lowered her head again, "It's complicated, but Jaypaw often caused a lot of trouble for the Clan." Rainstone could clearly see that this trouble was probably not limited to harmless pranks, and given Jay's ruthless attack of the rogues, she could guess that she wasn't the most honorable warrior. _But what exactly happened, and why do I feel like this is something I shouldn't get involved in?_

She wasn't going to press Scorch any further about Jaypaw, and she gave Needlepine a hard look, making sure he understood that as well and the tom reluctantly curbed his curiosity. They fell to more friendly topics, asking about Scorch's role in the Clan and her remaining kits.

"Rainfall will be taking on full medicine-cat responsibilities. Honestly, he's still a little young, but Skypool's previous apprentice died of sickness and until Rainfall there were no other suitable apprentices. So, she's had to remain a medicine-cat much longer than usual," Scorch explained.

Rainstone nodded, "But he'll also have you to help, right?" she asked, tapping Scorch lightly on the shoulder.

Scorch nodded, "But I'm not a medicine-cat in any sense, I just help out with the chores and simple injuries sometimes and of course during emergency situations like a battle or epidemic. I can't teach Rainfall anything new, and his connection with StarClan is not something I can help him with."

"But Skypool will still be here to consult, won't she?" Needlepine asked.

Scorch let out a long sigh, "It's a miracle that she's still alive, truth be told, I don't expect her to make it past leaf-bare. And with the Clans not getting along, I'm not sure how much the other medicine-cats will help, even if they are supposed to reach across Clan boundaries."

Rainstone pricked her ears, "Speaking of other medicine-cats…" she began hesitantly, "Is Flickertail of RiverClan still around?" She could still clearly see in her mind the young reddish-brown tom with creamy spots on his fur like fallen snow on a red fern bush. His excitable amber eyes and his tail which never ceased to twitch were some of her fonder memories of the Clans.

Scorch raised her muzzle in surprise, "Why yes, in fact he's one of my closest friends outside the Clan. He's still the medicine-cat of RiverClan and he's in a similar position to Skypool, though he's a couple seasons younger than she is. He's training an apprentice who is expected to succeed him very soon so that he can retire." Scorch purred, eyes lighting up in amusement, "Willowwater has been trying to coax him to the elders' den for seasons now."

"Willowwater!" Rainstone burst out, remembering her best friend in all the Clans, "So she's still around? And you say she's an elder?" Rainstone's eyes gleamed, she hadn't expected it, but there was a strong desire to see her old friends from RiverClan again. _Willowwater as a retired elder!_ The thought was incredibly amusing as she recalled her stubborn, independent friend.

Scorch seemed to have noticed it as well, "You know, there's a gathering soon, I can ask Boulderstar if you can come with us. Willowwater and Flickertail are almost always at the gathering."

Rainstone looked at her daughter, appreciation and excitement flowing through her, but she hung back. "I couldn't impose, I'm not a ThunderClan cat and I don't want to make things difficult, besides," she looked at Needlepine who was looking at her with a laughing expression.

"You know, I would like to see my sister too, she might be at the gathering," Needlepine mewed, turning his gleaming eyes to Scorch, "I'd appreciate it if I could go too. And if ThunderClan won't let us go, we can go as ShadowClan and RiverClan cats."

Scorch jumped up, "Then it's settled, I'll ask Boulderstar right away, but don't worry, he never says no to me," the red and black she-cat purred and trotted away, leaving Rainstone and Needlepine with similar feelings of joy and nervousness as they imagine tomorrow night's gathering full of old faces and new challenges.


	4. Chapter 4

The night of the gathering was clear and bright, the full moon rested above the lake and its reflection was clear on the placid lake surface. Rainstone and Needlepine accompanied the ThunderClan group to the gathering as they traveled along the shore toward the island where the gathering took place.

Rainstone had only been to one or two gatherings before, but she could distinctly remember how happy and excited every cat had been, even in those troubled times. But now the Clan cats moved solemnly as if they were going to battle rather than a night of gossip with their neighbors.

Scorch was up front at Boulderstar's side, their fur brushing as they marched along the lakeshore, leading their band of Clanmates. They held their heads high, but Rainstone could see that their senses were focused on the WindClan territory that lay on their left.

Rainstone scanned the dark moor, there were no silhouettes against the diamond sky backdrop and the scents were far off and stale, it seemed that WindClan hadn't yet passed them on their way to the gathering.

"Do you think they'll try to attack while we're gone at the gathering?"

"No way, StarClan would never allow it!"

The apprentices were mewing in hushed tones besides them and Rainstone recognized Dovepaw talking to a white tom with blue eyes. If Rainstone remembered correctly, he was Snowpaw, the apprentice of Berryfur, whom had been the first cat she'd treated during the WindClan battle. She'd been trying hard to learn all the names and relationships of the Clan cats, it seemed disrespectful not to know a little about the cats who'd allowed her into their home.

Needlepine tapped her shoulder with his tail and Rainstone turned her attention from the apprentices to him. "Relax, okay? Skirmishes happen all the time, everyone will calm down once we get to the gathering. Let's try to enjoy this night too. I admit I was nervous about seeing my old Clan-mates again, but now I'm excited to see everyone," the elderly tom's tail lashed energetically behind him and Rainstone purred, pressing herself against him and rubbing her cheek along his shoulder to give them both comfort.

"I feel the same, I can't wait to see my old friends. I just hope that they'll want to see us," she mewed, worrying again.

"Everything that happened was all so long ago, and I'm sure they'll understand, if they even remember. We had to protect our kit and there was nothing more we could do here. The Clans were defeated, we all needed time to heal and plan a counter-attack. And if you think about it, we protected Scorch who then saved the Clans. In a way, we did save the Clans," Needlepine mewed, touching the top of her head with his nose and Rainstone purred again.

"You're right," she mewed, drinking in the sight of the moon on the lake. The air was so warm and peaceful… this would surely be a good night.

"Of course I'm right, and you know—oh look, it's WindClan," Needlepine broke off as a Clan of warriors streamed down the moor slope. ThunderClan stopped and tensed, but Boulderstar led on stubbornly and WindClan didn't even flinch as they raced past them toward the island.

The ThunderClan cats quickened their pace, watching warily as the WindClan cats flowed by, growls and grumbles rumbling in the throats of several warriors. "Quiet!" she heard Wispheart hiss, "There is to be no fighting during the full moon, StarClan will be angry with us!"

Rainstone wasn't sure how effective the threat was, but the growls ceased, and she saw that cats were lowering their hackles with some difficulty as they halted, hanging back as the WindClan cats leaped one by one onto the fallen tree that served as a bridge to the gathering island.

"They're so rude! We clearly left first, but they raced past us just so that they could get to the gathering first!" Snowpaw was hissing to Dovepaw, who nodded with a worried look on her face.

"I don't think I want to talk to any WindClan cats tonight," the young apprentice mewed nervously.

"You better not! They'll just try to get information out of you," Snowpaw mewed.

"Stop it you two!" Berryfur turned her head around and hissed at the apprentices. "There's no need to talk to WindClan if you do not wish to, but if a WindClan cats talks to you, you will be polite. We must show that we are not scared or weak, so do not cower and hide." Berryfur's stern words sobered the apprentices and Rainstone's whiskers twitched in amusement as they gave each other sheepish looks.

Soon it was ThunderClan's turn and they approached the fallen log, Wispheart going first and leading the others across the smooth trunk with practiced ease. Rainstone and Needlepine waited until all the other Clan cats had crossed the tree trunk. She had watched anxiously as her blind daughter had leaped up as easily as if she could see the tree trunk and crossed with her tail high, oblivious to the lapping waves beneath her.

"You two can go," Boulderstar invited, only the three of them were left and Rainstone nodded her head, trying to hide her nervousness as she carefully jumped onto the smooth tree trunk. The tree bounced gently under her paws as she padded across it, trying to keep her lame paw from slipping off the smooth surface.

She tensed as Needlepine leaped up, sending shivers through the tree and she clung to it tightly, leaving claw marks in the bark. The trunk grew narrower and the branches poked through her fur as she reached the other end and leaped down onto the sandy shore. She waited for Needlepine and Boulderstar with the rest of the Clan and when the leader had arrived, he led his Clan toward the middle of the island.

Although it had been a long time, by tasting the air Rainstone could tell the other three Clans had arrived. The incredibly thick cat scent overwhelmed her and instead of hearing incessant chatter, she could only hear tense murmurs drifting through the air like leaves.

But that did not perturb her, she had already turned her attention in the direction of RiverClan's scent and she saw Needlepine looking anxiously in the direction of ShadowClan. "Is your sister here?" she whispered, trying to spy past the cats blocking her view as they entered the clearing.

"Yeah," Needlepine's voice was a mere breath and she purred at how happy he looked, brotherly love brimming in his eyes as his gaze landed on his littermate—a white, tawny, and pale ginger tortoiseshell she-cat with clear blue eyes.

"I think she noticed you," Rainstone purred, seeing the blatant look of shock on the she-cats face.

Needlepine looked around, "There isn't a lot of mingling, let's go," he waved his tail in three distinct motions and then fled into the bushes at their side. Rainstone chased him, wondering what they were up to.

They reached the sandy shore where the waves lapped like soft tongues at their paws. "Here you are," Needlepine purred after a few moments of silence, looking up in the direction of approaching paw-steps.

Before Rainstone could react, a blur of fur had bowled Needlepine over and was holding him pinned against the sand. She looked on curiously, having quickly assessed there was no venomous hostility and that the assailant's claws were sheathed.

"You! You're alive?!" the she-cat who held Needlepine down mewed in a shrill voice, her blue eyes staring in wonder at Needlepine's green ones.

"Yes, of course I am! Now, could you get off me?"

"No! You're answering all my questions right here, right now," the tortoiseshell growled.

"For a senior warrior, you still act like a kit," Needlepine grumbled, Rainstone could see how much he was enjoying this and it filled her with warmth as she took a few steps back to give the littermates room as they started sharing tongues in oblivious ecstasy.

Turning away, she gave the two peace as she walked along the lakeside, the waves lapping gently at her paws as she walked upon the moon bleached sand, the moonlight sparkling and shimmering and turning all it touched to silver.

She came up short as a silhouette approached from the direction of the clearing where the gathering would soon begin. Stiff and uncertain whether to flee or face the newcomer, Rainstone started backing away, hoping she could leave unnoticed. But the cat seemed to have seen her and stopped moving as well, nothing more than a dark shadow with gleaming eyes.

"Hello," Rainstone dipped her head nervously, painfully awkward as she tried to think up an explanation for who she was. Hopefully by this point she smelled enough like ThunderClan to not merit an attack.

Green eyes blinked slowly, and the cat moved toward her, tabby fur gleaming silver in the moonlight and dark ear tips pointed inquisitively toward her. _Is it too late to run away?_ Rainstone wondered as the cat—she could tell it was a RiverClan she-cat from scent—stalked toward her.

"Your scent… you're not a Clan-cat," the she-cat mewed gruffly and Rainstone felt a shiver. There was a tone of authority, despite the age in the voice. _Wait a moment…_

"No… I once lived with the Clans, but I left. Now I've come back," Rainstone mewed.

"Why did you come back if you left once already?" the she-cat was getting closer and Rainstone's chest was getting tighter.

"To see those that I love. Like my daughter, Scorch, and my old friends…" Rainstone trailed off as the she-cat stopped right in front of her. She had a lanky build and was about a mouse-length taller than her so that her fish breath- warm and moist—covered her face and made her scrunch up her eyes.

"Willowwater, is that you?" Rainstone mewed at last, holding the green gaze within her own.

The she-cat didn't move a muscle, letting the silence drag on until she opened her mouth, "Who are you?"

Rainstone's heart fell, how could Willowwater forget about her? _Although_ … it had been many seasons since they'd last seen each other, perhaps she couldn't recognize her. "It's me, Rainstone!" she mewed, lifting her tail, waiting for recognition to flash across Willowwater's gaze.

The she-cat frowned, "I don't know that name."

Rainstone looked at the cat, stunned. How could this be? Unless this really wasn't Willowwater… maybe she was the one mistaken. "I'm sorry, I should be going," she mewed quickly, turning away from the cat who she had decided was not Willowwater.

She'd taken a few steps when she felt a weight on her back that made her legs collapse and pinned her to the ground. Had the cat attacked her, at a gathering?! All her senses were heightened, and she struggled in vain the throw her attacker off, but her strength was not enough, and her legs flailed uselessly in the sand.

A mrrow of laughter was heard from above her and she stiffened, outraged that the cat was taking enjoyment in her plight. Though she was also aware that the cat had kept its claws sheathed, she was not really being harmed.

"Rainstone, after all this time, why do you show up now?" the cat seemed out of breath from laugher and Rainstone stiffened, tail sticking straight up as she rolled over to force her attacker of.

"It is you, Willowwater!" Rainstone mewed angrily, jumping to her paws and furiously facing Willowwater's insolent expression. "Why didn't you say so? And why did you jump on me?" she spat angrily, tail lashing behind her.

Willowwater shrugged, casting a sidelong look at the lake. "It's payback, for having abandoned us for so long," the she-cat mewed lightly and Rainstone shut her mouth, both angry and yet not able to argue back.

"Well, that was an immature way to get back at me," she grumbled, sitting down on the sand and giving her chest a few licks to both smooth down her fur and regain her composure.

"At first I was going to throw you in the lake, but at your age that probably wouldn't be a good idea. You'd catch a chill for sure," Willowwater teased, sitting down beside her as they looked out over the lake.

"My age? You're nearly the same age as me," Rainstone snorted, finding it unbelievable that they could talk again as if they'd never been apart.

"But I'm a RiverClan cat, I can swim better than I can run," Willowwater mewed.

"Hey, I was RiverClan too once, I can swim," Rainstone defended herself.

"You were no good back then, you could only hunt from the shore!" Willowwater mewed, eyes sparkling.

Rainstone shifted her paws, "I still wouldn't drown or catch a cold, I'm sure."

"We can test that theory?" Willowwater asked, nudging her toward the water.

Rainstone dug her paws into the sand, "I'd rather not go to the gathering soaked!" Willowwater laughed at her obstinance and pushed her nose into her fur.

"It's good to see you again, Rainstone. So much has happened since you left, I don't know where to start," Willowwater mewed warmly and Rainstone's heart filled with relief at the tender welcome.

"Then don't, let's just enjoy tonight and talk about other things later." The two she-cats chatted about all sorts of nonsense until the moon was nearly at its peak.

"You're an elder now?" Rainstone gaped at Willowwater, but thinking back, Scorch had mentioned it the day before. It was just difficult to see her young and active friend as an elder.

Willowwater shrugged, "There aren't a lot of elders in the Clans, so retiring a little early isn't a bad thing. It's time to let the younger ones take over the more difficult tasks. Though if Flickertail doesn't join me soon, I'm going to go crazy all alone in that den."

Rainstone chuckled, "Is he here tonight? I'd like to see him again," she mewed, getting to her paws. It was nearly time for the official gathering to begin.

"Oh yes, and he would never forgive me if I didn't share you with him," Willowwater mewed, getting to her paws too and leading her back toward the main gathering.

Following her silver friend, Rainstone pushed past ferns and bushes, feeling their leaves tickle her sides as the scent of plants that was overlaid by cat scent was revived in her senses. Back in the main clearing, silver moonlight dappled the cats and Rainstone noticed that a few small groups had formed between the bulking Clan groups which kept mostly to themselves.

"He's over there," Willowwater mewed, leading her determinedly between a group of mingling ShadowClan and RiverClan cats. Rainstone felt their eyes pierce through her but Willowwater didn't hesitate, heading for a group of cats that smelled of herbs that sat close to the tree where the leaders were gathering.

"Flickertail!" Willowwater hurried toward him and greeted the other medicine-cats quickly before whispering something in the ear of an old tom with amber eyes and a red-brown tail that whisked behind him, brushing the ground incessantly and keeping the other cats at a distance.

By the time Rainstone joined them, the amber tom was already hurrying toward her, eyes lit up with sudden life. "Rainstone!" he mewed, his voice was rough with age and Rainstone almost didn't recognize him. But the same energy she remembered was still alive in his eyes and the tail that never rested.

"I can't believe you're here! When did you arrive?! How are you doing? Are you going to come visit the Clan?" He bombarded her with questions and Rainstone purred, glad to see her old friends were as excited to see her as she was them.

"I'm doing well, we just arrived in the Clan territory a few days ago," Rainstone mewed, turning to the other medicine-cats. Aside from Skypool and Rainfall, she didn't know any of them and they were watching her with curious eyes.

"This is Rainstone, she was once a RiverClan cat and she worked hard to help keep the Clans from being taken over. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to save us, but she's also the mother of Scorch," Flickertail explained to the others.

"And she's skilled with herbs," Skypool added, "She has already helped us with a little WindClan trouble," the old she-cat gave a sidelong glance at a frowning red she-cat with black stripes.

"Ah! So you must be the one!" the red she-cat's green eyes lit up instantly, "During that fight, when the cats returned, I saw that one of them had an almost fatal wound but it had been patched up well, which allowed me to save him. He said a strange cat who he didn't recognize the scent of had helped him," the red she-cat looked at her in wonder.

Rainstone squirmed under the impressed looks of the medicine-cats, though she noticed Skypool was slightly disapproving. "You aided an enemy warrior?" the old she-cat asked, though she didn't seem as upset as Rainstone had feared.

Rainstone dipped her head, "None of the ThunderClan warriors were badly injured and I didn't think he would survive without immediate treatment," she admitted, lifting her head and looking at Skypool squarely. She wasn't ashamed of what she'd done, only a little embarrassed at being questioned about it in front of strangers.

"Well, thank you very much," the red she-cat—the WindClan medicine-cat—mewed, "My name is Willowleaf."

"And my name is Nightshade, and this is my apprentice, Mintpool," a black she-cat with heather-blue eyes introduced herself. A young tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes bowed her head at the black cat's side and Rainstone surmised these were ShadowClan's two medicine-cats. It seemed ShadowClan had the best medicine-cat situation, with two medicine-cats who could serve at their full potential.

"Flickertail, where is Otterpaw?" Mintpool asked the RiverClan cat, looking around.

The red brown tom shrugged his creamy dappled shoulders, "We had a kit with a runny nose, nothing serious, but its mother was so worried Otterpaw volunteered to stay behind."

"Queens these days, they're far too worried about every little thing," Skypool snorted, tucking her paws beneath her and laying down on the ground as Rainfall sat down besides his mentor. "And they keep wondering why all us older cats don't retire," she muttered.

Rainstone twitched her ears as the older medicine cats murmured their agreements. Rainfall and Mintpool shared a glance and looked as if they would like to protest but thought better of it. "I noticed there aren't a lot of elders in the Clans," Rainstone mewed, looking around the clearing. "Though ThunderClan has several."

"Unfortunately, a lot of those that would have been elders were killed when Pinefur and that ShadowClan cat took over the Clans," Rainfall explained, "Just a few cats have retired and a lot of those that have, already passed away. We've been lucky in ThunderClan, but many of the senior warriors refuse to retire in all the Clans."

"Can you blame them? The younger cats would pick a fight and get the Clans thrown in war, they've grown up in peace and are eager to show their skills through even meaningless fights. They hunger for blood because they don't know what it's really like to put their life on the line for their Clan," Nightshade of ShadowClan mewed, narrowing her eyes.

Rainstone thought back to the fight with WindClan, the boldness, the hostility, she'd thought she just wasn't used to it but now it seemed that it really was unusual. "And you should know, Rainfall, after all, it was your sister that made things this bad," Nightshade went on in a growl, lips curling back in the beginning of a snarl.

"Calm down," Flickertail soothed, "Jaypaw is dead and gone, no need to antagonize him."

Rainstone's ears twitched, Jaypaw wasn't dead, but that wouldn't be a wise thing to say. And it was at least true that she was gone. But what had provoked such outrage from the other Clans? Rainfall had lowered his head and Skypool had turned her gaze away while the others shot accusing stares at them.

"What did Jaypaw do?" Rainstone whispered to Flickertail.

His amber eyes shot to her and then away, "It's not really my place to tell you, but basically she outright broke the warrior code and killed others needlessly in battle. She was the root cause of many fights that caused cats to lose their lives. I don't think you'd find a cat in the Clans who didn't breathe a sigh of relief when she died. She could have been the next Nightwing had she survived."

Rainstone felt a chill, true Jaypaw had been ruthless with the rogues, but she hadn't struck her as dangerous. And her desire to protect her kits had been real, was she really the monster all these cats seemed to think she was? _Not that it matters, I can't prove Jaypaw wasn't as bad as they say and even if I could, there's no reason for me to do so and it wouldn't change anything either._

At the moment, all she could so was listen as the leaders started the gathering. She sat between Flickertail and Willowwater close to the other medicine-cats. She'd looked around for Needlepine but hadn't seen him, though she'd spotted Thistlebranch sitting at the bottom of the gathering tree with the deputies from the other Clans. _So she's a deputy…_

"RiverClan's current leader is Flashstar, do you remember her?" Flickertail whispered.

"You should, you saved her life when she was a kit," Willowwater added with a purr.

Rainstone looked up at the sleek black she-cat with fur that sparkled silver and bright gray eyes that glowed like stars. She vaguely remembered rescuing a tiny black kit one night from Nightwing, Flashkit sounded familiar. She marveled that such a tiny kit could become a leader, and from the old scars and tone of authority Flashstar used when discussing RiverClan's current strength, she was a well-experienced warrior and leader.

"Crowstar is leader of ShadowClan now, you probably don't know him, but he's been leader since Nightwing got taken down," Willowwater explained. The black tom had large, pointed ears which were sharply attentive as he sat like a stone, amber eyes sweeping over the clearing as he gave his report, it seemed ShadowClan had three new litters this past moon and Rainstone didn't miss the inferred suggestion that ShadowClan needed more territory. Glancing at the ThunderClan cats, she could hear their grumbling and growing discontent. And what was more, WindClan had yet to speak.

Boulderstar stood up when Crowstar had finished, but the WindClan leader—an old brown tom with gray streaks and green eyes—cut him off. "WindClan has been well this moon. Our prey is plentiful, and the training of apprentices has gone extremely well. However, it seems that ThunderClan has forgotten where our boundary line is and attacked one of our hunting patrols unnecessarily."

Yowls of outrage rang through the clearing as WindClan and ThunderClan both started hissing and spitting at each other. The fur along Rainstone's shoulder prickled but she remained calm. She was not a real part of ThunderClan and she hadn't been there when the fight had broken out. Had WindClan crossed the border, or had ThunderClan attacked them because they were too close to the border? Regardless of how it started, she knew the fight had occurred on ThunderClan land which supported the idea that WindClan had crossed the border. However, during a fight it wasn't impossible that ThunderClan had been pushed back or had tried to trap them on their own territory.

"Is this what Willowleaf was talking about? The fight where you helped the WindClan apprentice?" Flickertail whispered as Boulderstar furiously defended his Clan against a hostile WindClan leader whom Willowwater said was named Cavestar.

Rainstone nodded, "I wasn't there when it began, of course, but I know that it was fought on ThunderClan land by the border with WindClan."

"That doesn't prove much of anything of how it was started, and probably no one is going to admit to the truth," Willowwater yawned, "They're wasting their breath. Because neither leader will let anything slide because they both believe that their cats were in the right, probably because that's what they were told, and they trust their own cats."

"ThunderClan's powerful aggression is undeniable," Cavestar spat, "Your Clan is soley responsible for the majority of fights these past four seasons."

Boulderstar's tail bushed to twice its original size, "We've admitted to our mistakes and taken care of the problem, you can't use our past history to justify your own aggression," the gray leader sounded like he was speaking through gritted teeth. Clearly, he hated to admit that his Clan had committed mistakes in front of all four clans.

"If one ThunderClan cat could so greatly affect the Clan, whose to say there isn't another cat in your Clan like your daughter?" Cavestar was almost taunting now.

Boulderstar's blue eyes, which had always been so calm and clear, were now sparking and crackling, Rainstone felt like she could be singed just looking on from where she was sitting. But suddenly the electricity died, and his eyes returned to normal as he smoothed his pelt down.

"Cavestar, that is besides the current problem. My cats told me they found your cats hunting on our land, and we confronted them and drove them off. Your cats probably told you my cats attacked yours on their own territory. Clearly, some cat is mistaken, and we won't find out from arguing. I have no intention of starting a war with WindClan but we will continue to vigilantly watch our borders, in case you mistakenly think that tiny fire somehow affected us," to this, Boulderstar gave a sharp glance at both Cavestar and Crowstar who had been sighing as if he'd somehow been caught in someone else's squabble.

Boulderstar leaped down from the tree and Flashstar took it upon herself to announce the gathering was at an end. "We'll be going home soon," Willowwater mewed, a touch of regret in her voice as she turned her glittering green eyes on Rainstone.

Rainstone purred and touched noses with her friend, spotting Boulderstar signaling for ThunderClan to assemble at the edge of her vision. "I'll see you before the next full moon, I'm sure. I have something I want to talk about with you," she mewed, pulling away.

Willowwater's ears pricked up, "What are you scheming this time?" curiosity dripped at her words, taking a step closer to her.

Rainstone purred and waved her tail, "It'll be a surprise! But I want to talk with Needlepine before I do anything, so keep your eyes open for me." And with those parting words, Rainstone slipped into the throng of cats and vanished from sight.


	5. Chapter 5

The day after the gathering was clear and bright. A warm breeze skipped through the forest and the leaves trembled along its current, playing with the shadows that swathed the thickly grown forest. The ThunderClan camp was quiet, with many of the cats who had gone to the gathering the previous night sleeping soundly until sun-high.

But the news of the argument with WindClan left those awake with high-strung spirits. Instead of the usual peaceful sharing tongues, many cats huddled in small, cloistered groups to whisper and gossip and heighten the feelings of unease and anger.

Boulderstar sat in conference with his top warriors all morning along with Skypool, trying to decide what action was the best to take. Do they take an offensive or defensive stance? And what safeguards should they put in place on the WindClan border? And what about ShadowClan? Crowstar's veiled warning had not been forgotten.

"We don't have enough experienced warriors to lead all these young cats," Wispheart growled, "We've had too many casualties these last four seasons and we're on the brink of losing even more because so many of the senior warriors would usually be elders by now, myself included."

Boulderstar dipped his head, his ears brushing against the top of his stone den as he stood up, "Thank you for all your help, Wispheart, I hope to give you your rest soon. But I do not think we are in so dire a situation, Fireclaw and Moonfrost, the two of you are only slightly older than myself and Leopardspot, you have several moons left in you as well. We've been able to give Ivyfur, Icewhisker, and Wispheart's sister, Spiritstorm, the retirement they deserve while all the other Clans have been forced to forgo giving their elders that rest. We have many fine, young warriors with plenty of experience that are fiercely loyal to the Clan. I am very proud of them and I trust them to gain more experience and wisdom in the coming moons."

Scorch purred quietly, proud of her mate and his wisdom in dealing with their troubles. ThunderClan—no, all the Clans—were on the brink of turning over a new leaf. She could understand the older cats' fear of leaving the rest to the young ones, but she and Boulderstar both trusted and believed in them. And she knew the seniors would too if it weren't for Jaypaw…

She instinctively cringed on the inside, her poor daughter. She would always blame herself for not being a proper mother to her daughter, but since her daughter had been born, she knew that her destiny would take her far away to a place she couldn't see.

A mother's love wasn't easily extinguished, but she knew that to defend her daughter was to defend war and violence, the opposite of what she desired. So now she had to show them how to trust the new generation, by leading the example herself.

"Young cats make many mistakes, but that is why they have us. Just because we let them take the lead doesn't mean we're going to disappear and become silent. We have made many mistakes ourselves, so we should lead by example and show them how to learn from both our and their own mistakes," Scorch mewed, interrupting the loud debate.

"But what if they won't learn?" Leopardspot countered, eyes slanted in suspicion.

"Then they will have to live with their mistakes," Boulderstar mewed, "And all of us with them, we are a Clan, we do things together. Wispheart, we've already discussed this haven't we?" the gray leader asked.

Wispheart nodded, "It's time we start transferring leadership to the new generation, but who to start with?"

* * *

Rainstone yawned, rolling over onto her back with her front legs stretched above her head, lapping lazily at the dew that had formed on her whiskers. She peeped open an eye and glance up at the leader's den.

It was nearing sun-high and Rainstone had spent the whole morning after the gathering sleeping in the sunlight next to Needlepine, curled up on a pile of warm rocks that the other elders had monopolized but had been willing to share with them.

The hot stone was comforting to her tired limbs and mind while she had watched tiredly as Boulderstar hastily gather his senior warriors and Scorch for a meeting upon return from the gathering. From the scent of it, they were still engaged in conversation in the den.

Rolling onto her belly and tucking her paws beneath her, Rainstone scanned the clearing. Cats were mingling and murmuring, shooting glances at the highrock, all concerned with their leader and senior warriors' conversation.

 _Aren't there a lot of cats standing about?_ Rainstone narrowed her eyes, it seemed pretty much every cat was in the clearing, only a few mentors and apprentices were missing. _What about patrols?_ She had seen the dawn patrol go out, but from the looks of it, no one else had been sent _out. I know Wispheart is still in the meeting, did no one else think to send out hunting patrols?_

Looking at the fresh-kill pile, it looked like maybe a few cats had gone out hunting on their own, but only a few fresh pieces remained on top of the scrappy leftovers from the day before. There wasn't nearly enough for every cat to eat a full meal.

Rainstone's belly grumbled at the thought of food and her mouth was parched. Maybe she could go get something to drink and catch some prey for both her and Needlepine. She didn't see Raven anywhere, and guessed she was out enjoying the quiet of the forest.

"Rainstone! How are you doing today?" The old gray she-cat turned her head as Rainfall approached her, his one black ear flicking in greeting as his eyes met hers calmly.

"Hello, Rainfall," she mewed, confused as he climbed up on the rocks to sit next to her. She glanced at Needlepine who was still fast asleep behind her. The other elders were scattered about on the rocks, their pale gray coats blending in nicely with the rocks. Her darker fur and Needlepine's bright ginger fur stood out against the stone like two roses in a daisy patch.

"I wanted to check on you two, it was a long trek last night, so I wanted to see if you were stiff or sore," Rainfall explained, his green eyes sweeping over her fragile figure.

Rainstone stiffened, she wasn't an elder yet! Maybe Needlepine was though… "I'm fine, we're used to long walks," she mewed, but Rainfall must have caught her guarded tone.

His whiskers twitched, "You must be hungry though, right?"

"Too bad no one thought to send out hunting patrols," Rainstone grumbled, looking at the sparse collection of food, "Can't they think without a deputy and leader for one morning?"

"But it's the deputy's job to organize patrols… to just take over her job like that," Rainfall sounded uncomfortable, though he also looked worried about the low food supply.

"That shouldn't be such a concern that cats have to go hungry when there's a forest full of food out there!" Rainstone snapped, she wondered why she was getting so angry about this. Her belly was tense and hollow, and she had a vague sense of anxiety, as if she were waiting for something.

"Rainstone's right," a new voice spoke up and the two gray cats looked down to see a dark gray tom with silver tabby stripes moving out of the shadows of the rocks. "We have to think for ourselves sometimes and not leave everything in the paws of our leader and deputy. That's the whole reason why they don't trust us with the Clan," he mewed, his green eyes fixed boldly on the highrock. The ambitious gleam in his eyes was not veiled.

"Coalspark," Rainfall's tone was suddenly cold and distant and Coalspark's green eyes swept over them for a moment, lingering on Rainstone with that peculiar look that made her feel uncomfortable.

"I'll organize two hunting patrols, one of them can also check the ShadowClan border again since the dawn patrol said that the border markings were a little erratic this morning," Coalspark decided and with a powerful leap that brought him to the center of the clearing, he attracted the cats' attention with a few quick mews and movements of his tail.

Rainstone marveled at how quickly they flocked to him, even though it seemed to her he wasn't much older than Rainfall. He quickly had two patrols, one headed by himself, and the other led by Ravenwing, whom she'd heard was his former mentor.

The two patrols left and the camp was much quieter, though Rainstone noticed that several warriors remained so that the camp could still be well defended. He chose well, made quick decisions, and was never questioned about his authority. _He's certainly an impressive young warrior._

"You don't seem to like him much, do you?" Rainstone asked, turning to Rainfall who was staring at the gorse entrance with a pensive expression.

He shrugged, "He's always been too ambitious for my taste. He was an apprentice when I was a kit and was always showing off. He was a bit of a genius with everything, a sensible hunter and a talented fighter. Every cat knows that he wants to be the next deputy and he's made practically every cat younger than my older brothers his supporter. At this point, when Wispheart retires, there won't be a question about who'll replace her," he growled.

Rainstone blinked, "And what's the problem? If he's so talented, has strong authority, and has the Clan's best interest at heart, ambition shouldn't be a problem."

"Except that he'll put the Clan above everything, even his own Clan-mates. He wouldn't think twice about abandoning one or two clan-mates if it meant helping the whole Clan," Rainfall growled and Rainstone could hear the pain creeping into his voice.

Rainstone looked straight ahead while Rainfall continued to glare after Coalspark, after a few moments of silence she asked, "Is this about Jaypaw?"

Rainfall nodded, "My littermate, maybe you guessed but… she loved Coalspark. Probably more than anything or anyone else," he added bitterly. "But she had a problem—I can't deny that. She resented most of the Clan because she wasn't especially good at anything. When she was apprenticed, she couldn't do anything. Couldn't track, couldn't hunt, couldn't fight, and was clumsier than a lame badger. Of course, she was also a little weird, being infatuated with an apprentice and then warrior, so she didn't really have any friends. She got teased a lot and scorned a lot and mother and father never had time on their paws to help her learn or mature."

Rainstone was silent, remembering the precise blows Jay had used against the rogues. She'd defeated them, with a belly of kits, in a few heartbeats it seemed. Plus, her senses had seemed very sharp and her muscles were the leanest ones Rainstone had seen for a long time. That wasn't a clumsy or below average warrior she had met.

"Jaypaw worked twice as hard as any apprentice for a long time, and soon she was faster, stronger, and smarter than any other apprentice, even those that were nearly warriors. But she got frustrated when they instead started saying it was because her mentor was the deputy, Wispheart- who didn't spend as much time with her apprentice as most mentors. She stopped training with the others and instead did her own things—I don't know what. It was about that time that she and Coalspark got closer, I mean, much closer. And that's when it happened, it was a small border skirmish with ShadowClan, nothing serious and we thought it was well finished until Crowstar accused ThunderClan of killing one of their cats needlessly in the fight. No cat had reported killing in self-defense, or at all, so Boulderstar apologized that the death happened, but affirmed it was an accident and that it was their own fault for starting the fight. So, then we were at war with ShadowClan, a couple battles later, a couple deaths later, we agreed to peace. By this time, enough cats had seen Jaypaw fight to conclude that she was the one who had killed the ShadowClan cat. And she admitted to it, saying she'd gotten swept away in the fight. But as soon as that was done, WindClan tried their luck and similar things happened, more deaths were pinned on Jaypaw and pretty much all the Clans were calling for her to be exiled for all the strife they said she was creating."

"But in reality, she was just the spark," Rainstone murmured, "She was the face of everyone's pent up frustration and aggression that were leading to the fights and everything was blamed on her, and the leaders wanted her gone."

Rainfall nodded, his green eyes had grown increasingly darker. "Everyone turned their backs on her, mother and father, our siblings, our clan-mates. Only Emberheart and I still talked to her. She was confined to camp, except for battles—she was being targeted by the other Clans so I think they were hoping she would just get killed," Rainfall growled. "And once in battle, she was in a tight spot and some of the ThunderClan warriors just stood back and watched as she was getting pulled to bits. Emberheart saved her that day," Rainfall's voice softened, and his eyes glistened, "At the expense of her own life."

"After that, Jaypaw was never the same. She wasn't angry anymore, just desperate. She clung to Coalspark, who still snuck out with her every night—I was the only one she told about that. That is until Boulderstar found out and forbade it, lecturing him about breaking the warrior code by helping Jaypaw break the rules. So Coalspark left Jaypaw and never spoke a word to her again as far as I know. Instead he took Dappledleaf as a mate, speaking of which, I should check on her… her kits are due any day now," Rainfall trailed off, green eyes growing hazy and distant.

"Finish the story please," Rainstone asked, or more demanded.

"Oh, I thought I was just rambling," Rainfall's whiskers twitched but he sobered and continued. "There's not much more to say after that. Jaypaw's warrior ceremony had been delayed twice because of her actions and on the day it was supposed to take place, she disappeared. I don't know if she got caught out in the forest alone by enemy warriors, if some tragic accident befell her, or what. But she left and she didn't said goodbye, so I don't think she left the Clan on purpose. But she'd been so distraught, she told me there was no life for her here and that she wanted to die… I just pray to StarClan every night that she's safe with them there," Rainfall's voice cracked and Rainstone looked at him sadly. He loved his sister, it reminded her of Pepper and she wondered how much it had hurt him to lose her, even though he knew she was leaving.

 _Should I tell him I met Jaypaw?_ Scorch seemed to think she was still alive, but he sure doesn't. "Jaypaw's happy now," Rainstone mewed gently, lifting her eyes to a drifting cloud that blocked out the sunlight. "I met her before I came here… she was travelling, looking for a new home. She didn't look like she wanted to die, she looked like she wanted to live and live her own way."

Rainfall whipped his head toward her and blinked in disbelief, "You met her?" his voice was a hoarse whisper and his eyes were wide open.

Rainstone nodded, "Found her washed up on the shore. She looks like me and fights like a monster, right?"

Rainfall's eyes widened, "Why didn't she say goodbye then?" his voice was crestfallen and Rainstone narrowed her eyes as blinding rays of light pieced through the cloud as it passed.

"I don't know, but, who knows, maybe she'll come back someday," Rainstone mewed, yawning and stretching her back as she stood up. "Now let's go check on those kits, I have to talk to this lazy-bone later," she mewed, flicking her tail over Needlepine's ears.

He grunted, and she knew that he had heard the whole story, just pretending to be asleep. "And Rainfall," she mewed as she jumped down, looking up at the young tom whose eyes were bright with hope, "Thank you for telling me about your sister, I understand things a lot better now."

Rainfall jumped down the rocks beside her, "I haven't talked about my sister to anyone since she left," he admitted, "Everyone wants to act like she never existed… thank you for listening to me." His green eyes were bright with gratitude and affection and Rainstone wondered if it was because she and Jaypaw looked so similar that Rainfall had been willing to tell her about Jaypaw.

"So, Dappledleaf is Coalspark's new mate?" Rainstone mewed as Rainfall led her over to the nursery.

Rainfall nodded, "She's a nice cat, we were in the nursery together for a short while. She tried to be nice to Jaypaw, but my sister never knew how to act so they were never friends," Rainfall sighed.

"Let's not think about that now, there's no use wondering what could have been. Is she close to having her kits?" Rainstone asked, stifling a twinge of jealousy.

Rainfall nodded, "Any day now, I just need to check on her to make sure she's comforta—" he broke off as a small ball of fur launched from the entrance of the nursery straight into his chest.

"Umph, that's no way to greet a medicine-cat, Darkkit," he scolded as the tiny dark gray tom kit picked himself up from the ground which he had fallen back on after crashing into Rainfall's fluffy chest.

"You're an enemy invader and we have to protect our home," the kit mewed seriously, narrowing his blue eyes and crouching low on his white paws.

"We?" Rainfall echoed, taking a step back as two more kits joined Darkkit. Rainstone took a few steps back as the kits leapt on Rainfall batting at his ears and tail with the kitten-soft paws. With a purr in her throat, Rainstone watched as Rainfall lost his balance trying not to step on the kits and fell on his side where the kits immediately pounced on him.

"Bramblekit, Darkkit, Lightkit!" a stern voice made the kits freeze and they scrambled off of Rainfall as a golden-brown tabby face peered from the shadowy entrance, "Leave Rainfall alone and go pick us out something from the fresh-kill pile," the queen, their mother from scent, ordered the kits in a gentle but firm manner.

"Okay, mommy!" Lightkit, a pale brown tabby she-kit with green eyes led her brothers in the charge over to the fresh-kill pile, their tails sticking up in the air like feathers.

"Sorry for that," the queen apologized to Rainfall, squeezing out of the entrance to go keep an eye on her kits. Rainstone could see this queen was not incredibly young, but still youthful, and her brindled dark brown tabby stripes made her fur look like golden rays of light with dark brown shadows striped across it and her amber eyes glowed with a love only a mother could feel.

"No need to apologize, Sagelight," Rainfall purred, "We're just going to check on Dappledleaf quickly."

Sagelight's eyes flitted curiously toward Rainstone and they darkened for a moment before turning back toward her kits, "She's sure to kit any day now, if she gets much bigger we'll have to give her a den of her own!"

Rainfall and Sagelight purred and said goodbye before the two gray cats entered the stuffy, shadowy den. "Dappledleaf? How are you feeling?" Rainfall asked gently, approaching a dozing gray she-cat with a white freckled coat who was laying on her side, legs splayed out before her.

"Like I can't move," the queen grumbled. It was true that her belly was swollen to nearly twice her size so that it hardly seemed the lean she-cat could hardly roll over, let alone stand or walk around. "How much longer will this last? Coalspark hasn't visited for a few days either," the queen added quietly.

At Coalspark's name, Rainfall's tail twitched angrily, "He's been busy since the fire, I'm just glad the stress didn't make you go into kitting on the lakeshore," the gray tom purred, pressing his black ear to the she-cat's stomach. His green eyes gleamed with delight and Rainstone purred, guessing he could hear the kits' heartbeats.

"Any day now," Rainfall mused, "If you start to feel cramps, send for me or Scorch immediately."

The queen nodded, looking at Rainfall with a softened look in her eyes, "You've been such a blessing for this Clan, StarClan sent you for sure. If not for you, Skypool would probably have passed away without an apprentice and we'd be in trouble."

Rainfall shuffled his paws, giving his chests a few licks and looking shyly at the queen and mumbling something that could have been a _thank you_. "I think you look good, but I'll ask Skypool to check on you herself this evening. And don't be shy about letting us know of any pain, we like to be prepared."

The young tom purred and stepped away, nodding to the she-cat and leaving the den, eyes glimmering wistfully for a moment. Rainstone followed, eyes glowing, "You like her don't you," she purred, stepping out of den.

Rainfall glanced quickly into the den as if to make sure Dappledleaf hadn't heard and then back at her, "Of course, I told you she was nice to me and my sister. She's an old friend," the gray tom looked up at the sky. Sun-high had passed and fluffy mounds of white clouds were drifting across the blue sky, sending the forest into a whirl of light and shadow as the sun played behind the clouds.

"Not to insinuate anything, but I imagine things would have been different if you weren't a medicine-cat. Even though you don't like Coalspark, you still seem awfully fond of his mate who replaced your sister by his side," Rainstone mewed, turning more serious. "But as a medicine-cat, follow the rules, soon you'll be the only one the Clan can rely on for their medicine-cat needs. "

"I know that," Rainfall snapped, seeming flustered and angry at this sudden attack. "Anything that might have been won't happen. I'm happy for Dappledleaf as a friend, nothing more. I just hope Coalspark can be what she deserves. And I'd never break the rules, I've always known this was my path and that it would be lonely at times, but I have no reason to wish for something else," the young tom raised his eyes and faced her, like he was challenging her.

Rainstone, on the other paw, was more than pleased with the little glimpse she'd had of Rainfall's life. Here he was, a difficult relationship with his family, a senior mentor close to retirement or death, carrying the weight of an important position with anticipation of a soon greater weight, frustration and disappointment, and yet he still took it all in and moved forward. The others had been talking of the young cats being unprepared for taking the Clans forward, but Rainstone could see no sign of that.

 _It's not the young cats that need to be taught to lead like they all seem to think, but it is the seniors that need to learn to have faith and trust in the cats that they have raised._ Rainstone let Rainfall return to his duties and left to find Needlepine, the fragments of the idea she'd sparked at the gathering falling into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we have Rainfall talking about his sister, it was so fun to remember Jay's past! I remember why I liked her so much, because in the end she really did change and pick peace over war for the sake of her loved ones. This story will probably have 2-3 more chapters, so we're almost done! I'm excited, especially for the next spin-off which will focus on Jay's son. I don't remember his name, but it was the one that looked like his father. I hope I didn't name him Coal after his father... that would have been silly... I just checked and his name was Flint, whew, what a relief ^^


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you going to lie there all day?" Rainstone prodded her mate's belly with a paw.

Needlepine grunted and rolled over, "But I'm so comfortable…" he scratched his head along the warm rock before curling up into a tight ball of ginger and black fur without opening an eye.

Rainstone sighed and sat next to him, the rock was comfortable and soothing to her cold bones and she wanted a moment to think. Looking out over the camp, it was now bustling with cats running here and there, going about their duties. Coalspark had certainly set the cats in motion. Even with the leader, deputy, and all senior warriors still in conference, the Clan had taken up jobs by itself and the cats were functioning well together.

"I want to visit Willowwater," she mewed, speaking what she'd been thinking for a while.

"Wait until the next gathering," Needlepine murmured sleepily.

"That's a whole moon away. And besides, I'm not a Clan cat and she invited me to come visit," Rainstone mewed, looking down at her mate who had opened one green eye to look at her.

"RiverClan is on the other side of the lake, you'll be gone for a day at least. I don't think our hosts would be happy about that. Besides, we're not here for Willowwater, we're here for Scorch. We should spend more time with her and her kits," Needlepine mewed, sitting up and looking at her softly.

Rainstone purred and intertwined her tail with his, leaning against his sun-warmed fur. "I know, but I owe Willowwater a lot for all she did for me and for Scorch. I want to help her…" Rainstone raised her eyes above the tree tops to the cloud scattered sky.

She could make it to RiverClan by tonight, spend the night, and leave before sun-high to reach ThunerClan well before evening the next day. Scorch had been busy all morning anyways, she was sure to have to catch up on her other duties once she was done with the conference.

"I can see you won't be dissuaded," Needlepine sighed, bumping her shoulder affectionately with his muzzle. "If you must go, go. I'll cover for you here," he purred and Rainstone touched noses with him for a long moment before jumping down from the rocks.

With every cat busy with their own tasks, no one cast a glance her way as she marched out of the entrance and into the woods. She trusted Needlepine to take care of explaining things for her and decided to head straight for the lake which she would follow around ShadowClan's territory into RiverClan territory. Hopefully she would meet a patrol by the border, but she remembered the territory well enough that she was sure she could find the camp without help. _I also hope they won't be too hostile…_

The forest was alive with noise, it seemed the refreshing rain that had quenched the fire had brought new life to the woods. Bees buzzed lazily over perked flowers, birds flittered among the shady branches, singing songs as they went along, and tiny creatures rustled amongst the ferns and grasses, searching for seeds and nuts to fill their stomachs.

Rainstone trotted briskly along a path she thought led in the direction of the lake, but she was a little worried about meeting a patrol along the path, so she started shadowing the path from the undergrowth.

"What are you up to now, Rainstone?" the gray she-cat jumped at her name, back arched and fur fluffed up along her shoulders. Using her nose, she relaxed as she recognized Raven's scent.

"Raven, where have you been?" Rainstone mewed, trying to pinpoint the black she-cat with her dulling senses.

"The cramped camp life isn't for me," Raven growled, stepping out of the shadow of a large fern bush, bits of twigs and grass imbedded in her coat. Shaking out her fur, she licked a paw and drew it over her ears, smoothing out the dull black fur that hung loosely to her bones.

"Well, if you're hungry, they should have food," Rainstone mewed, turning away from the black she-cat.

"Where are you going?" Raven asked, ignoring her blatant attempt to get rid of her and trotting to her side, as curious as a kit.

"To RiverClan," Rainstone sighed, glancing warily at the black she-cat to see how she would react. Raven's amber eyes didn't stray from the path, though her lips curled into a frown.

"Not trying some grand scheme out, I hope. You're too old for that," Raven mewed, her voice stern.

Rainstone's tail fluffed out, "I'm just visiting Willowwater, I promised to visit before the next gathering."

"The gathering was last night, why bother to travel so far now. And on an empty stomach?" Raven mewed suspiciously as Rainstone's belly grumbled.

"I didn't have time to wait for the hunting patrols to return if I want to be back before evening tomorrow," the gray she-cat lifted her chin, Raven was the last cat she had to answer to.

"But why visit now?" Raven repeated, almost whining.

Rainstone looked away, feeling a little embarrassed, "I wanted to talk with her about something—something that doesn't concern you!" she added as Raven opened her mouth again.

The black she-cat shook her head, "You never change," she sighed, "always going off on your own to do whatever you feel like you have to do, even though it only gets us into trouble."

Rainstone whipped her head around, offended. "When have I ever gotten anyone into trouble?" she mewed shrilly. Raven gave her a look and she shrunk back, "I mean, other than myself," she amended hastily.

"How about when you decided several times to drive off bunches of rogues that weren't really bothering us, but just the neighboring loners?" Raven pointed out.

Rainstone shrugged, "They were so close, no doubt they would have eventually bothered us, so I just preferred to drive them away before they became too big of a problem."

"I still can't believe you poisoned them though," Raven mewed, tail twitching at the memory.

"There were too many to fight, and I didn't give them a deadly poison. I just made them sick and told them the water supply around there was poisoned so they had to leave," Rainstone defended herself, unashamed of what she'd done, though she remembered Needlepine had been unhappy about allowing it, saying how it was un-warrior like.

By the time their squabbling had subsided they had reached the lake and Rainstone stood for a moment on the sandy shore with her eyes closed, feeling the fresh, cool breeze stream through her fur and press her whiskers against her face.

"I like the lake," she mewed softly, opening her eyes and looking out over the expanse of gently lapping waves. "It reminds me of the ocean, but calmer." She could stare at it forever, because it reminded her of both of her homes.

It was calm, gray, and steadfast, like the mountains. But it moved, it changed and warped into new shapes just like the ocean, but with far less violence. Plus, it was by the lake that she had met Needlepine and many of her friends. It had been next to this lake that she had conceived Scorch, it held many precious memories for her especially as she grew to a more nostalgic age.

"Are we going to stand here all day?" Raven grumbled, glaring up at the cloudy sky, eyes squinted as a few rays of sunlight broke through the cloud cover. The sky was quickly becoming more cloud-filled, maybe there'd be another rain shower today.

Rainstone turned her paws along the lakeshore and headed toward the tall pines of ShadowClan territory, ears pricked and mouth open for any nearby cats. Luckily, unlike in WindClan territory, a cat had to be much closer to the lake to spot cats along the lakeshore and since the breeze was blowing off the lake from the direction of ShadowClan territory, their scents would be blown out over the expanse of water.

Although she wasn't a Clan cat, Rainstone felt a prickle of unease as she stepped across the invisible border line, signaled by a heavy change of scents. Although ShadowClan did not smell foul to her, as other Clan cats always complained, it has a distinct scent of marshes and pines which was both bold and vague.

The lakeshore turned pebbly and Rainstone's lame paw slipped over the smooth stones, she caught herself though and took a moment to shake out her fur, checking their position and guessing where the sun was behind the now heavily clouded sky.

ShadowClan scent was overwhelming all around her, but it wasn't fresh, and the solemn pines remained silent and motionless, no signs of cats or prey in the empty rows of trees. The waves along the lake were growing and becoming noisier as the wind picked up through the pines, blowing their fur toward the lake. The light was starting to wane and Rainstone guessed that it was edging toward the west and beginning to be blocked by the pines that cast gray shadows over the lakeshore.

"We should hurry, a ShadowClan patrol is nearby," Raven growled, picking up her pace and treading lightly over the shore, back and tail aligned with her shoulders and head.

Rainstone followed suit, although she could not step so lightly with her lame paw and she kept one eye warily on the dark pines since she had not been alerted to any signs of a nearby patrol. "We are allowed passage so long as we are within three tail-lengths of the lake, right?"

"In theory, but you've surely noticed how your appearance affects the others, right? It aggravates them," Raven mewed quietly.

Rainstone stared dubiously at the back of Raven's head, "You heard about Jaypaw?"

"Every word that Rainfall told you."

"I didn't even notice."

"That was the point," Raven mewed, looking over her shoulder, amber eyes wary. "I hadn't even guessed that Jay had left for those reasons. Though I had guessed it was something bad to make her leave when she was with kits."

"And we look exactly alike," Rainstone sighed, feeling a bit irritated that she aroused such strong emotions in cats because her descendant looked like her. "I don't like how Coalspark always looks at me," she added after a moment of silence, eyes darkening.

Raven purred, "He's terrified of you, he must have some mixed emotions about Jaypaw still."

Rainsntone shook her head with a purr, it was true that the abject fright and shock in his gaze seemed so uncharacteristic in him and looked ridiculous. But it was the other emotions she saw that unsettled her, the guilt, the love, the regret… It was clear to her that he had not willingly let Jaypaw go, but in the end, he had chosen his position and future in the Clan over her and he had to live with that, in the end it really had nothing to do with her.

"It looks like we got lucky this time," Raven mewed as they came to the edge of ShadowClan territory, crouching in the grass by the Thunderpath that led up to the wooden boards that stretched out over the lake. "We just missed that ShadowClan patrol."

Rainstone looked cautiously around the Thunderpath. A few Monsters were resting but there were no Twolegs in sight or within hearing distance. She also hadn't seen any Twolegs out on the lake with their strange floating toys and guessed that the cloudy weather and wind had kept most of them away today.

"Let's go, RiverClan territory is right there," Rainstone mewed, getting up and streaking across the hot, rancid Thunderpath with Raven at her side like a shadow. Rainstone let out a sigh of relief as her paws touched the soft grass on the far side of the Thunderpath and she took a moment to look around to make sure that no danger had appeared while she'd been focused on sprinting.

All was quiet and calm, the dusk dim light leaving the landscape washed-out and pale although the clouds were tinted a rosy pink by the sunset. Giving herself a shake, she and Raven headed into RiverClan territory, keeping close to the lake as they watched for the dusk patrol.

The strong, watery, and fish scent of the land brought back strong memories to Rainstone as she looked around at the changed scenery. Nostalgia filled her as she recalled dimly how she had trained here or hunted there or how she and Willowwater had walked together and talked and talked and talked. It was like reentering an old den that hadn't been used in seasons and remembering all at once how good a home it had been.

"It seems our escort isn't coming," Raven mewed after they'd been walking for a while, straying further from the shore.

"That's alright, I've been following a different scent for a while now," Rainstone purred, peeking her head around a mossy boulder, narrowed eyes against the dusty gray light. "Willowwater is nearby, and I can guess where."

Heart light with excitement, Rainstone led Raven along a trail that had once been well-trodden but was now barely visible in the long grass and her eyes alighted upon a sight she had almost forgotten. An old willow stood in a small clearing by a small pool of water. The swaying willow leaves trailed the ground and the gnarled wood bent gently in the breeze, a light fog gathering as the two cats entered the clearing gave the place a mystic feeling as if they had walked straight into a dream.

"There she is," Rainstone purred, spotting the old gray she-cat curled up at the base of the willow, screened mostly from view by the long willow leaves. The soft coo of a dove echoed over the clearing as Rainstone picked her way through the green, mossy clearing toward the willow tree. Raven hung back, taking up guard duty in the shadow of a mossy boulder, her pelt blending with the darkness.

Pushing her way through the willow leaves, Rainstone halted half-way under the tree, the leaves trailing along her back and side. She hadn't noticed before, but behind Willowwater another cat was curled, their gray tail hiding their nose.

Taking a deep breath, Rainstone noticed that this cat had a similar scent to Willowwater and that they looked remarkably similar, even though the stranger was a lighter gray with pale tabby stripes and was more compact rather than lengthy. But the shape of the head and ears were the same and Rainstone wondered if this was possible Willowwater's son, or else, a relative.

"It's not nice to watch others sleep," Willowwater opened one sharp, green eyes, yawning and lifting her head lazily.

Rainstone dipped her head, touching noses with the senior she-cat in tender greeting. "Is that your son?" Rainstone asked, looking at the sleeping tom.

"In a way. I never had a mate or kits of my own, but one of our queens died while kitting and I raised them in her stead since I was getting a little old for normal warrior work. He and his littermates will be warriors soon," Willowwater mewed, eyes glowing in pride. "And we are related, as most Clan cats are, their mother was my cousin."

Rainstone nodded, heart swelling as she saw the genuine motherly love that shone in her friend's eyes. "I'm glad you had the chance to raise kits at least, even if you never had any," Rainstone mewed, her voice cracking with emotion.

Willowwater's eyes turned back to her with a pitying look. "You never got to really raise Scorch," the RiverClan she-cat's quiet mew was fully of sympathy that Rainstone would have balked at, if anyone other than her old friend had offered it. But with Willowwater, Rainstone knew that it wasn't hollow or demeaning, but full of fellowship and comfort.

Rainstone gave herself a shake, sitting down quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping tom. "But that's not why I came here. I wanted to talk to you about Flickertail."

Willowwater's ears pricked, "You walk all the way around the lake to talk to me about someone else?" the gray she-cat gave her a coy look.

Rainstone took a breath and looked her in the eye, "I think the Clans really need to pass leadership to the next generation, but to do that the older cats have to retire and let the younger generation take charge."

Willowwater was shaking her head slowly, "You just don't know how to sit still and mind your own business, do you?" With a sigh the gray she-cat looked up at the green willow leaves. "I know that, it's why I'm retired. But the Clan doesn't want to trust the new generation, and after what happened with Jaypaw—" she broke off suddenly, giving her a worried look.

"I heard about Jaypaw," Rainstone mewed tersely. "But the Clans can't stay stuck like this over one apprentice who isn't even around anymore! It's ridiculous, and everyone knows it. I think that there's a reason why all the leadership is concentrated in the older cats, and I think that's part of the reason why the older cats don't want to retire. They're so used to power and running the Clans, they're not comfortable with giving it all up and taking a step back."

Willowwater nodded, "Boulderstar is the youngest leader there is right now, but he was still a hero during the liberation of the Clans. And most of the deputies and medicine-cats are older than him… But what do you think we should do about it? Eventually, the cats will have to step down because they will either die or be unable to physically carry out their duties, it can happen naturally for all I care."

"But wouldn't you rather the transfer of power be smoother? Be out of trust and respect instead of necessity?" Rainstone pressed, "The Clans will just fall prey to another vindictive cat if they can't trust their own Clanmates."

Willowwater sighed and shook her head again, "Necessity will force them to trust each other or crumble, without any cat doing anything about it."

Rainstone lashed her tail in impatience, "Like I just said, it would be better for the Clans to move on willingly instead of being forced into it! Can't you see? This unwillingness to turn over power is probably the result of fears the Clan cats had for Nightwing and Pinefur, and now they feel justified after Jaypaw. But they can't give up on the future of the Clans because of one apprentice! And if they don't trust the next generation, then won't this fear be passed on to the next generation, and the next? Wouldn't it be better for the elders to teach the right thing to do instead of the wrong thing?" Rainstone had gotten back on her paws, heart stirring in her chest and tail lashing.

As she said those words another group of cats had come to mind. She knew her origins well, she knew that it had been fear and a lack of trust that had led to the oppression of the she-cats in the mountains. She had been unable to help her fellow mountain cats, but now she wasn't about to watch more cats make the same mistake.

She looked down at Willowwater, surprised to see the warm gleam in the she-cat's eyes. "You never change, still spouting the same idealistic nonsense. Okay, I hear what you're saying, and I'll do what I can in RiverClan, I won't sit by quietly like an elder should," Willowwater mewed and got to her paws, stretching out her forelegs and yawning.

The young tom next to Willowwater opened his eyes, a pair of robin blue eyes stared up at her steadily and Rainstone realized he must have been awake for the whole exchange. "Rushpaw, keep this between us, please," Willowwater mewed, nudging the apprentice who nodded, giving Willowwater a warm nudge as he got up, sticking to her side.

"Flickertail has been postponing Otterpaw's naming ceremony, but I'll convince him to go through with it and then retire. And I'll talk to the other older warriors as well, I'm sure Flashstar will be on my side so that should make things easier. But I must admit, it was kind of nice to have my own den," Willowwater mewed wistfully.

Rainstone purred and thanked Willowwater. "But what are you going to do about ShadowClan and WindClan? RiverClan and ThunderClan are only half the Clans by the lake."

Rainstone sighed, "I'll have Needlepine handle ShadowClan but I don't know anyone who has connections to WindClan so that will be more difficult, I don't know if they'd even listen to anything I have to say unless I approach them at the gathering."

"Allow me to handle WindClan," Rainstone and Willowwater jumped and Rushpaw dipped his head respectfully as a fourth cat joined them.

"Flickertail!" Rainstone exclaimed, feeling a little uncomfortable at his serious expression.

"I was out looking for Willowwater and overheard pretty much everything," he confessed, amber eyes blinking apologetically as his tail swished behind him. "But I think you have a point," the medicine-cat gave her a sympathizing look. "I can express these ideas to Willowleaf, because if she doesn't want to end up like the other medicine-cats she should really start teaching an apprentice now. Plus, she's always open to new ideas," Flickertail purred, his expression softening.

"But I have to warn you," he mewed, turning to Willowwater and puffing out his chest, "I won't be retiring anytime soon!"

Rainstone purred as Willowwater gave him a challenging look and flicked his patchy fur with her paw, "We'll see about that!"


	7. Chapter 7

Upon returning to ThunderClan, Rainstone had the pleasant duty of trying to explain her absence to a group of perturbed warriors and a worried daughter. Needlepine had tried to get by that she had gone looking for some old friends in the area, but apparently, they weren't happy that she left without a word.

Boulderstar had been stone-faced and not said another word about it after she'd given her floppy excuses, but Rainstone had noticed that the warriors were keeping a closer eye on her. Not that she minded, for the time being she was happy in the camp and sharing long varied chats with her daughter and her kits and all the Clan cats, learning more about their lives bit by bit.

She and Needlepine had also ended up in the elders' den and although they only vaguely remembered their faces and names, it wasn't long before they'd struck up a healthy friendship with the three ThunderClan elders. They often sat together on the rocks and warmed their fur in the sunlight while talking about their pasts both in and outside the Clans.

"Do you remember that one new-leaf? The snow melted so fast and the rain came down so hard, I thought for sure we'd all turn into fish!" Ivyfur—a silver tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes and missing most of her teeth—was mewing, eyes hazy with nostalgia.

Rainstone nodded, "That was the new-leaf I arrived in the Clans, in fact, it was thanks to that rain that I got swept into Clan territory!"

Needlepine purred, "I heard that RiverClan pulled you from the river like a fresh fish." Rainstone swatted him with her tail for his teasing.

"How did you ever survive in RiverClan?" Icewhisker, a light gray tom with blue eyes and countless scars crisscrossing his skin, wrinkled his nose in disgust, "I could never stomach the smell, let alone the food."

Rainstone shrugged, "It's amazing what looks good to you when you're hungry enough. Plus, I had eaten fish before, so it wasn't completely new. Though, the fish here have a stronger smell than where I came from."

"Where exactly did you come from?" the third elder, Spiritstorm, who was Wispheart's sister, joined in, her ice blue eyes curious and cold with interest.

Rainstone and Needlepine shared a look, "From a long way away."

* * *

The days passed and Rainstone had the pleasure of watching changes take place. Apparently, the conference Boulderstar and the senior warriors had been long engaged in before her excursion to RiverClan was about Wispheart's retirement in the face of tension amongst the Clans.

Wispheart did shortly join her sister, Spiritstorm, in the elders' den and in her place of deputy, Coalspark was appointed. The young tom had stepped up to the task bravely and Rainstone knew that this deputy appointment was important. Because Coalspark was so young, he would most likely become the next leader after Boulderstar. And in the meantime, he had an incredible amount of time to learn and gain experience.

This appointment had acted as a catalyst and Rainstone and Needlepine often talked about how much had changed in a short time. The Clan's younger generation had taken more confidence and authority with itself, following Coalspark's example. They were more willing to make decisions by themselves and make their suggestions known.

It was good to see and Rainstone, Needlepine, and the elders shared their opinions with each other in many of their talks. For the most part, the sentiment was optimistic in the Clan and the younger cats had a fresh vigor as if to prove themselves with Coalspark as their lead.

Of course, there were bumps to be overcome. One morning Rainstone watched the early morning sunrise as the dawn patrol headed out with Coalspark as their lead and not long later noticed that he must have forgotten to organize to rest of the cats so that while he was gone Boulderstar had to set up patrols instead.

But such minimal mistakes were to be expected and Rainstone soon had a new occupation other than watching and commenting on the Clan. It happened that new faces appeared in the Clan not long after Coalspark was made deputy and Rainstone had a front row seat since she had gotten into the habit of visiting the nursery with Rainfall.

In the days since she'd learned of the Dappledleaf's relationship with Coalspark and Rainfall, Rainstone had spent a considerable amount of time with the round, gray queen. Something about the queen had reminded Rainstone of Whisper, her brother's mate and one of her closest friends from her birthplace.

The blue eyed she-cat was happy and content, despite being constantly slighted by her supposed mate, she thought it was this patience and undying devotion that made her resemble Whisper. Rainstone had been under the impression and continued to believe that Coalspark had taken Dappledleaf as a mate not for love, but for appearances. Even though Dappledleaf clearly loved him and was hurt by his continued absence from the nursery and his brief visits.

The old and young she-cat often talked together at sun-high, sharing a meal together in the shade of the nursery. Apparently Dappledleaf's mother, Sootfall, had not originally been a Clan cat but had been one of Nightwing's cats who later changed and decided to help the Clans, choosing to settle in ThunderClan with Scorch after the fighting was finished.

Rainstone was delighted. She had not remembered at first seeing the senior black she-cat with hazel eyes, but now she could clearly recall from her time infiltrating Nightwing's forces a young black she-cat with hazel eyes who was named Soot. _So, Clan cats and non-Clan cats really can learn to get along…_

Dappledleaf's long awaited kitting occurred eight sunrises after Coalspark was promoted to deputy and Rainstone and Dappledleaf sat just outside the nursery, watching the Clan together as they lazily shared tongues. "Coalspark will be a great deputy," Dappledleaf murmured, watching her mate with blue eyes full of admiration and affection.

Rainstone nodded her head in agreement, "He's confident and young, so he has time to learn and grow. But he's already a capable leader, so he'll be fine." Her voice was terse, as if she were forcing the words out. Coalspark had spotted them and had flashed a look of numb adoration in their direction which had sent Dappledleaf into a blissful sigh. Rainstone closed her eyes, _but he must let go of Jaypaw if he ever hopes to truly rise to the top._

"Um… oh…" Raisntone opened her eyes as Dappledleaf let out an uncomfortable groan and eyed her cautiously as the heavy queen shifted positions nervously.

"Are you feeling okay?" Rainstone mewed, getting to her paws and gently guiding the queen back into the nursery.

"Just a slight cramp," Dappledleaf mewed before gritting her teeth against another groan.

"Lie down, I'll go fetch Rainfall," Rainstone mewed, instantly recognizing and remembering the pain of kitting. After helping the gray queen back into her plush green nest, she hurried out of the nursery, glad that Sagelight and her kits were out in the clearing. Sagelight wasn't particularly fond of her and the kits were more than a little curious about anything and everything.

Blinking her eyes against the hot sunlight that stabbed her eyes, she hurried toward the medicine-cat den, sliding past the gorse screen, expecting to find Rainfall sorting through musty old herbs again.

"Skypool?" Rainstone asked, surprised to see the elderly, frail she-cat grooming her fur, catching her mid-lick. "Is Rainfall here?" Rainstone looked around the small den, not spotting the young tom anywhere in the den.

"What's the matter?" Skypool rasped, instantly picking up on her anxiety.

Rainstone faced the old she-cat, wondering if she was up to the long process of delivering kits. "Dappledleaf is kitting," she answered, hoping that Rainfall was somewhere else in camp.

Skypool got to her paws and went to the herb stock, pulling out a few small leaves and looking at her, "Carry those for me," the medicine-cat ordered.

"But where's Rainfall?" Rainstone repeated, picking up the herbs obediently and following the elderly she-cat's authoritative and frail figure. Rainstone hadn't had kits in a long time, she wasn't sure she remembered exactly how it went or how much help she would be. She only remembered that it was long and painful.

"It's the half-moon gathering tonight, he's already left and Scorch and Stoneheart are escorting him to the border. Scorch won't be back until evening and Rainfall not until morning," Skypool answered calmly, leading her out of the den with a flick of her tail.

Rainstone clamped her mouth around the herbs, careful not to bite into them and damage them, and followed Skypool with prickly paws as they crossed the hot clearing. Most cats were either out in the forest or resting in the shade of their dens, so no eyes watched them as they reentered the nursery.

"Skypool? I think Dappledleaf is kitting," Sagelight's worried face greeted them as they entered the nursery, taking a moment to adjust their eyes back to the dim light. The bridled queen had returned with her kits from the meal and the golden mother was struggling to keep her frolicking kits from putting their tiny paws on Dappledleaf's heaving sides.

"Sagelight, why don't you take the kits to visit the elders? Things are going to be cramped in here with all these kits," Rainstone suggested, gently sweeping the kits away from Dappledleaf with her tail.

For once Sagelight didn't give her a wary look but nodded in agreement, "Of course, kits, let's go have the elders tell you a story. And when we come back there will be new kits to play with!"

The kits followed their mother out, tails high in excitement and left the den to the three she-cats who immediately fell to work. Skypool slowly prepared the leaves Rainstone had brought while the senior gray-blue she-cat made Dappledleaf comfortable by putting fresh moss by her head and fetching a ball of moss soaked with water for her to lick at between contortions.

Rainstone could see that Dappledleaf's kitting was going astonishingly fast, with the cramps and contortions passing by faster and faster, leaving the gray she-cat in a tired haze. Skypool gave Dappledleaf the herbs and Rainstone sat by her head, impressed by how quiet the she-cat was being, her groans and pants were all the noise she was making. _I wonder if she's just too tired to be louder…_ Dappledleaf's eyes were shut tightly and Skypool rested an ear on her stomach, trying to listen but Rainstone wondered if her hearing was still sharp enough to be accurate.

"Four kits, I think," Skypool muttered, positioning herself for the kitting, "It won't be long now, hang in there, you're doing very well, Dappledleaf."

"Wh-where… is Coalspark?" the queen mewed between breaths, opening one scared, blue eye.

Rainstone licked her ear comfortingly, "He's just outside, waiting to meet his kits so stay strong."

Sootfall had stopped by earlier to see how her daughter was doing and had spread the word of the kitting before returning to comfort her daughter. Coalspark hadn't approached yet, but from the proximity of his scent, he wasn't far away. The light filtering into the den was turning red and Rainstone knew the sun was setting as Dappledleaf went into the final stages of kitting.

Rainstone's heart beat fast as she watched the miracle of life occur right in front of her. With Sootfall's help, Rainstone opened the sack and licked two kits to life, eyes transfixed on the tiny creatures she cradled in her paws.

"Three toms and a she-kit!" Skypool announced, eyes glittering with new strength as she licked a tiny white she-kit while Rainstone and Sootfall took care of the three toms. The nursery was warm with the scent of new life and the walls vibrated with purring.

"Wait a moment," Rainstone mewed, looking anxiously at Dappledleaf, "Is she alright?" Usually after the kitting a queen would immediately search for her kits, but Dappledleaf wasn't moving at all and her sides still rippled.

Skypool passed them the white she-kit and laid her ear on Dappledleaf's side, eyes clouded with confusion. In half a moment another kit was born and only Sootfall's swift paws caught the kit, the black queen broke the sack and licked the surprise kit vigorously as it opened its mouth in a shrill mew.

"Another she-kit," Skypool sighed, turning back to Dappledleaf who was staring up at the nursery roof, catching her breath and ears pricked and trembling at the sound of her kit crying. _Her mother instincts are already strong._

Rainstone, Sootfall, and Skypool placed all five kits at the mother's belly and watched as Dappledleaf licked them all gently, helping them latch on to nurse from her belly, her blue eyes fatigued by bright with joy as she looked over the five kits.

Rainstone purred and turned to leave, leaving the family to themselves, but Skypool caught her. "Rainstone… I know this is asking a lot, but could you watch over them for the night? I'm… too tired to do it," Skypool's eyes were dark and her thin shoulders were trembling from the effort of staying upright.

Rainstone's ears pricked as she immediately offered Skypool her shoulder and led her out of the den. In the gray daze of twilight Skypool quietly announced the safe arrival of five kits to the Clan cats who responded with rejoicing and congratulations. Rainstone watched Coalspark nod curtly from his position outside the nursery and head to his den.

"Aren't you going to visit your kits?" she heard a warrior ask Coalspark. 

"Tomorrow, I'm sure they'd rather sleep for now. Besides," he looked back at her and Skypool, "They're in good paws."

After helping Skypool to her nest, Rainstone promised to spend the night in the nursery and to instantly come get her or Scorch if something was off, for Scorch would be back any moment. The cool touch of night was on its way when Rainstone left the medicine-cat den and she was met by Needlepine, holding a mouse in his mouth with bright eyes.

Rainstone purred and accepted the meal gratefully and settled down to eat outside the nursery, leaving Dappledleaf in Sootfall's capable paws for the time being. Sagelight had returned to put her kits to sleep, but from the absence of curious mews it seemed they had gone to sleep quickly.

"What a day…" Rainstone sighed, taking a bite of mouse and enjoying the meat fill her ravenous belly.

Needlepine nodded, "I told stories to the kits about life in ShadowClan, they seemed quite interested in how life in other Clans isn't that much different than ThunderCan."

Rainstone purred, "Bet you didn't give up any ShadowClan secrets though, right?"

"Of course not! And you wouldn't give up RiverClan secrets either. When we're trusted with secrets, we want to honor that trust. It's part of being a Clan cat, and I'm proud of you for helping with this important task today," Needlepine mewed, grooming his back fur with long, swift strokes.

Rainstone purred, raising her eyes to the deep purple sky where tiny, gleaming shards of light speckled the evening sky like brilliant white flecks on a cat's dark coat. Silverpelt's first flecks of light were always the brightest and she watched as the half moon rose, resting just atop the rock wall that sheltered the camp, it's crescent shape shed white light upon the forest.

The cats had all gone to their nests for the night, only the two lone night guards were roused, stifling their yawns in the face of sleepiness. A few thin black bats flitted above the forest trees as Rainstone got to her paws, stretching and drinking in the moist, cool air of the earth.

"Ah, there's Scorch," Needlepine purred, climbing to his own paws and leading her to the entrance where they met the young gray, Stoneheart who was leading his blind mother Scorch back into camp.

"Scorch," Needlepine purred, greeting his only daughter warmly. Rainstone purred as she saw happiness flash through Scorch's dark green eyes and she touched noses with her daughter briefly and offered Stoneheart a warm nod.

The gray tom quickly excused himself, saying he had to prepare for dawn patrol tomorrow and went off towards the warriors' den, disappearing into the snoring shadows. Rainstone and Needlepine led Scorch over toward the rocks that led up to Boulderstar's den, and Rainstone listened as Needlepine told the story of Dappledleaf's kitting and Rainstone's role in it.

"That's wonderful," Scorch purred, but Rainstone could see that her daughter was tired, and she mewed her goodnights at the bottom of the rock pile, allowing Needlepine to lead Scorch up the rocks to her mate's den.

She felt her heart tighten as she watched her blind daughter stumble over the rocks clumsily, _she's lost so much and lived a hard life, and I was never able to be there for her…_ In the wake of the emotion of new life, she was almost brought to tears as she turned away, too distraught to wait for her own mate and headed back to the nursery, slipping into the dark den, ears alert to the sounds of tiny mewling as she crept carefully past Sagelight's nest and settled down next to Dappledleaf.

The gray queen was sound asleep, her kits mewling softly as they woke and nursed at their own pleasure. Rainstone looked at the young queen and the newborn kits, illuminated by the pale moonlight that filtered into the nursery that made their fur shine softly, she was surprised by the intense envy that sprang up in her at seeing their beauty and perfection.

She wished with all her heart that she could have had a life like Dappledleaf's. That she could have been born to cats who loved her and helped her be all that she could be, that she had been able to freely love the cat she loved and had been able to stay in her own home and raise her own family.

_But then you never would have met Willowwater, or Flickertail, or Needlepine. You never would have had Scorch, and you would never have seen or done all that you have done. It's been a hard life, but it was a good one._

Rainstone sighed, smirking at her own silliness and lowered her head into her chest, closing her eyes. She certainly was growing old, and death was not a far-off thought. But then again, it never was, and she was here with her family again, with cats who did not hate her and who she believed she could learn to like very well, if not love. There was nothing to regret, and Rainstone dozed all night with those thoughts in her head.

* * *

"Careful, Ivykit!" Rainstone caught the tiny white kit by her scruff, preventing her from getting a face full of mud. "Duskkit, stop that!" she mewed, turning in time to halt the tiny tom kit from throwing a wad of mud at his brother.

"You five are real trouble, you know that?" Rainstone sighed, sweeping the kits and slowly guiding them away from the puddles of mud left by last night's rain shower. The kits looked up at her with big eyes, no fear in the face of her annoyance and Rainstone melted, purring and gently nosing them toward the nursery.

A little over half a moon since their birth, the kits had started walking- more like waddling- around on their stubby little legs, exploring the camp and all its inhabitant at the distress of their mother who was exhausted from trying to watch over five kits.

Rainstone had taken upon herself the glad responsibility of aiding Dappledleaf with mothering whenever Sootfall was busy with warrior duty. She took pride in seeing the five kits grow and explore as if they were relatedl and she was pleased by the affection and trust the kits showed toward her. "Thank you, Rainstone," Dappledleaf purred, exiting the nursery and nuzzling her kits, her eyes refreshed from a morning of rest without tiny noses and paws all over her.

"It's always a pleasure," Rainstone purred, watching the kits mewl and nuzzle their mother with demanding noses. Dappledleaf took them back into the nursery to feed them and Rainstone watched them go into the shadows, her eyes meeting Fallkit's for a moment. The runt of the litter looked back at her with glittering hazel eyes, inherited from her grandmother Sootfall whom she was named after, before following her mother and littermates into the safety of the nursery.

Rainstone stretched and yawned, it was already sun-high, and she was worn out from taking care of the kits all morning. Sagelight had taken her kits to the elders' den early that morning and she could see them eating a meal with Gorsewhisker, Sagelight's mate and father of her kits.

Sagelight's opinion of her seemed to have become better, but there was an uncomfortable air between them and Rainstone wasn't surprised. She'd learned that Sagelight's only sister and littermate had been killed in the fighting last leaf-fall, a fight whose source had been blamed on Jaypaw, whom Rainstone strongly resembled. _Though it's Jaypaw who resembles me, since I'm older…_ Rainstone thought again with a grumble, nosing over the fresh-kill pile. But she understood that her appearance was a powerful and unpleasant reminder to many Clan-cats.

"Rainstone, share this with me?" the she-cat looked up at her mate's call and saw him holding a plump looking squirrel between his teeth. Rainstone purred and nodded, joining her mate in a dry part of the camp, settling down on the soft grass and beginning to pick at the squirrel.

"You seem to really be enjoying taking care of the kits," Needlepine mewed as she took small bites of the food.

Rainstone nodded, avoiding eye contact, feeling a little guilty about not giving him anymore kits to raise after Scorch. "I am, I'm sorry," she mewed sheepishly, also aware that she wasn't spending as much time with Scorch and Needlepine because of it.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Needlepine mewed, nuzzling her ear with his nose, green eyes tender, but with a hint of melancholy. "You still gave me one wonderful daughter and that's more than enough," he mewed, purring as he looked across the clearing at Scorch.

Rainstone purred, it was Needlepine who had connected most strongly with their daughter and whenever the three of them were together, she could clearly see the similarities between her mate and her daughter. Their optimism, their cheerfulness, their gentle and comforting nature that was coupled with boundless energy made for a warm and enjoyable companion.

"But what I really wanted to ask you about was when we want to go back to our home by the sea," Needlepine mewed, voice turning stern and serious. "Green-leaf is almost over, if we don't leave soon we'll have to stay through leaf-bare or risk getting caught in the snow."

Rainstone pricked her ears, her heart stirring as she remembered their home by the seashore. She loved it there, the spray of the water, the salty smell, the violent wind, and the raw beauty of the landscape had never become washed out to her.

But here… there was something more important than simple scenery. Her family was here, her friends were here—new and old, and she wasn't ready to leave. She looked up at Needlepine, "What do you want to do?" she asked, wondering if he would be comfortable staying in a Clan other than his birth Clan for an extended period.

Needlepine shrugged, "I don't want to leave Scorch… but, I can't invite myself to stay here much longer either, we've already been here over a moon now. I think we should talk to Boulderstar and learn the bounds of his generosity."

Rainstone nodded in agreement and they finished their meal in silence, with Rainstone avoiding Needlepine's penetrating gaze. It almost felt like he was accusing her of something, like the time she had snuck bitter travelling herbs into his food when he was getting ready to go on a short trip but had refused her help, forcing her to resort more sneaky tactics.

"Needlepine… I've been thinking about something lately," Rainstone mewed, relenting to his unwavering gaze. Her mate nodded encouragingly, and she hesitated on what words to use. "I think that… if we could, and it's alright with everyone, that maybe we should join ThunderClan."

Needlepine's green eyes lit up, "I was hoping you would say that," he purred, jumping to his paws and touching her nose softly but with such energy that Rainstone's tail whisked in happiness.

"Let's go ask Scorch about it right now," Needlepine mewed, turning in a small circle, waiting for her to finish her food before kicking some dirt over the bones and trotting around the clear toward their daughter.

Rainstone watched as he mewed something quietly in her ear and Scorch's green eyes lit up like blazing green stars as Needlepine led her over to them. "Let's go out into the forest to talk," Scorch mewed, joy evident in her voice as the three of them padded through the gorse exit into the cool forest that was still dripping from last night's rain. The cool air blew through Rainstone's whiskers and glancing up through the branches she spied fluffy white clouds being hurried along by a brisk breeze, green-leaf really was almost over.

The didn't talk as they made their way hastily through the woods, finally stopping in a secluded area full of green ivy and moss that surrounded a gnarled old maple tree whose roots were clearly visible. They sat on one of the soft old roots and waited in silence for a few moments, each one waiting to see who would start the conversation.

"Scorch, we want to join your Clan," Rainstone broke the silence with a soft mew, gazing up at the green leaves that sheltered them and tensing as she waited for her daughter's response.

Scorch purred, "Father told me almost as much, I can't tell you how happy that would make me. To think we should be able to spend the rest of our lives together. It's what I always wanted," Scorch's voice cracked, and her eyes misted as Rainstone pressed herself against her daughter, almost forgetting that she was also a mother and not a tiny kit that needed comforting.

"Do you think Boulderstar will allow it?" Needlepine asked, sounding a little anxious.

Scorch nodded without a second thought, "We've already talked about it and he said that if the two of you wanted, he was willing to make you two elders of the Clan. The condition being that I not invite you, but that you ask to join the Clan yourselves."

Rainstone purred, "I'm glad we asked then," she mewed, sharing a glance with Needlepine over their daughter's head.

"But do we have to be elders? I'm not that old," her orange and black mate asked, looking a little offended as he sat straighter, trying to look less frail.

"Oh yes, you're in prime condition for scaring off those WindClan cats, aren't you?" Rainstone mewed sarcastically and Needlepine pulled back his lip in a mock snarl, showing off his yellowed and broken teeth.

"I can still hunt though," he defended himself.

Rainstone shook her head fondly at her mate while Scorch gave a mrrwo of amusement. "But maybe we could do a little something for the Clan before we retire for good… I've been helping out in the nursery, and with Skypool retiring, it might be nice to have an additional pair of paws to help out," Rainstone offered.

Skypool had decided to retire shortly after Dappledleaf's kits were born, apparently, she had finally come to terms with the fact that she was not able to keep up with the demand of her duties and had moved to the elders' den for good, where she spent most of her time sleeping.

Scorch purred, "I'm sure the Clan will be happy for your help while you can offer it, but let's worry about that later. Right now, I'm so happy that I want to enjoy this moment and never forget it," Scorch sighed, closing her sightless eyes and raising her nose to the sky, as if giving thanks for this dream she was living.

Rainstone and Needlepine purred, feeling their chests warm with family love as they pressed themselves to their kit, wrapping her in their warmth and closing their eyes as they too relished the moment.

_This is it, we have traveled to the Clans and found our kit. We've become a part of the Clans again for now and for the future. And our bond with our daughter and her kits will remain intact and unbroken, our family is unbroken._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the last chapter, and there is much rejoicing on my end. I know it was short (but it was only a spin-off...) and there wasn't a lot of action (but Rainstone is oooolllllddddd) but I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, so at least you didn't hate it? haha.
> 
> Now that this spin-off is complete, I can now work on the other one which follows... dadadadum! Flint! (as I've mentioned before) Flint is Jay's son, the one that looks like Coalspark. This is going to be interesting, because I have a great idea for it, but I'm still trying to make it short (like this one). So hopefully the first chapter will be up in a few weeks (but school is also starting again soon, so we'll see). I haven't come up with a name for it though... so I guess just keep your eyes peeled!


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